Harvey Elliott made a one-night-only return to Blackburn on Monday to greet supporters following his successful loan, as he looks to forge a career with Liverpool.
Elliott was back at Ewood Park earlier this week, making a lap of the pitch, signing shirts, posing for selfies and meeting fans in the club’s hospitality suite.
This comes after his breakout loan spell with Rovers last season, in which he scored seven goals and assisted 11 in 42 appearances, but never played in front of their supporters.
It was a wonderful gesture from the teenager, who has foregone the option of an overseas holiday this week to remain in England, and shows the value his time at Blackburn holds for him.
He is a rare example of a player going out on loan and then establishing himself in Liverpool’s first team, with injury cutting short an exceptional run at the start of the campaign – which he will hope to pick up on now he is back fit.
? Great to see you again last night, Harvey!#Rovers ??? pic.twitter.com/FSI2TGf4Ez
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) January 25, 2022
And speaking to RoversTV upon his return to Lancashire, Elliott expressed his gratitude for a formative experience under Tony Mowbray.
“Playing here was one of the highlights of my career. Touch wood I go on to have a good one,” the youngster said.
“The loan spell has put me in good stead for this season.
“I learnt a lot from the experience here, I learnt a lot from the gaffer and the team, and coming up against different playing styles and different teams, and figuring out how to break them down.
“It was a great achievement to come here and do what I did really, and a great achievement to put on a Rovers shirt and say that I played for them.”
For such a young player, Elliott speaks with real maturity and intelligence, along with respect for those who have helped him along the way so far.
He certainly didn’t have to make the trip to Ewood Park during Liverpool’s mid-season break, and his visit ahead of the 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest is characteristic of his attitude.
“I was saying to my dad on the way in that I miss this drive to the stadium,” he continued.
“I gained a lot of joy, a lot of experience and a lot of learning from the loan spell, which I’ve put into this season, so that drive to Ewood Park will always be one to remember in the future.
“It was just wonderful to be back here and see all the fans and the buzz around the stadium, and to watch the team play again and see the quality that they have. I’m just hoping that they can push on.
“It was a shame, with Covid, that I couldn’t play in front of the supporters last season and give them my all, but I’m buzzing to be back here and to get an opportunity to say my hellos and goodbyes to the fans.”
Fan Comments