Harvey Elliott is looking to “cement” his place in the Liverpool midfield this season despite competition from the summer incomings.
Elliott made 46 appearances in all competitions last season and was ever-present in the side until falling somewhat out of favour towards the end of the campaign.
The 20-year-old successfully battled back from the horrific dislocated ankle injury he sustained in the 3-0 victory at Leeds back in September 2021 and has become a prominent feature within the squad despite his young age.
Speaking ahead of the season opener against Chelsea this weekend, Elliott admitted that it will be “tough” to replicate the minutes he was afforded last season due to the “world-class players” around him.
“Personally, [my goal is] to be in the team, to kind of cement my place in the team. It’s going to be tough, [there are] world-class players here so it’s never going to be easy,” Elliott told the club’s official website.
“At the same time I just need to support the team and whenever I’m called upon just make sure I go out and apply myself well, give it my best shot and play for the badge, which is what I want to do each and every game. And most importantly, enjoy it.”
Elliott tasted international success over the summer as part of the winning England squad at the U21 Euros and will be hoping that can translate to further silverware with the Reds this season.
The arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have ramped up the level of competition in the more progressive areas of the Liverpool midfield in which Elliott tends to operate.
Frustrations continue to grow among the fanbase around the lack of a defensive midfield signing, but Elliott will have to impress if he is to hold down a place in the No. 8 position.
The youngster added that the squad have been working hard over the summer to fix the things that “didn’t go so well” last season and that he is “excited” to put those hard yards into competitive action in 2023/24.
“I feel like this pre-season has been a lot more intense, we’ve worked a lot on things that didn’t go so well last season,” he continued.
“We’re just all excited to put that into the games coming up and hopefully we can apply it in the matches and get the results from it.”
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