By John Boston
Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has played down suggestions he could leave Anfield in the summer after failing to start a single league game for Arne Slot’s newly-crowned champions this term.
Elliott, 22, was a mainstay in the Reds’ engine room in Jurgen Klopp’s last season in charge, with 53 appearances in all competitions.
But the boyhood Liverpool fan has made only 14 league outings this season, with the likes of Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai moving ahead of him in the pecking order.
Elliott hampered by early injury
The former Fulham star’s cause was not helped early in the campaign when he sustained a foot fracture that kept him out for nearly three months.
And Elliott admits the timing of his injury did not help him in quest to catch Slot’s eye.
He told the Liverpool Echo: “I think it’s been a lot more difficult for me because I obviously had that injury at the start.
“But at the same time, you need to be here for the team, work as hard as you can and when the opportunities come on the pitch.”
He added: “A lot of times this season it’s almost been coming on when we’ve been losing or drawing, so it is about trying to change the game, try and turn it around and have a positive impact.
“But, you know, any minutes for Liverpool are amazing.”
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Brighton and Dortmund linked
With competition so fierce for places in Slot’s midfield, it has been suggested that Elliott could seek pastures new this summer.
Brighton and Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund have both been suggested as possible suitors, but the player himself is adamant he is staying put.
He continued: “Hopefully I am still here to be honest. It is the best place to be, the best club to be at and especially having the fans around us at the moment, I don’t think there is a better place to be playing.
“Players go through ups and downs but at the end of the day you have to come out fighting and I think it is within myself to make it happen.
“Hopefully I can stay here for the rest of my career.”
Chiesa eyes winner’s medal
With Liverpool’s 20th league title already wrapped up, attention will now turn to Slot’s selections for the final four games of the season.
One player who will be desperate for a rare outing is the Dutchman’s only summer signing – Italian winger Federico Chiesa, who needs just one more appearance to qualify for a winner’s medal.
Cult hero Waturo Endo may also feature on a more regular basis, while Darwin Nunez, who looks almost certain to leave in the summer after an underwhelming season, could also feature.
Parade date set
The club, meanwhile, will parade the Premier League trophy through the streets of Liverpool on Monday, May 26 – the day after their final game of the season at home to Crystal Palace.
No parade was possible the last time the Reds lifted the title in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But upwards of 750,000 fans turned out for the 2019 Champions League celebrations, with a similar number in attendance when the team showed off the League and FA Cups in 2022.
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