12 hours ago
2
Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has said he does not want to be "wasting years" in his career and this summer will weigh up whether to stay at the club.
The 22-year-old, who is part of the England squad for the European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia this summer, was limited to 18 Premier League appearances for Liverpool last season, 16 of them as a substitute.
His only two starts came in defeats at Chelsea and Brighton after the Reds had already secured the Premier League title in manager Arne Slot's first season in charge.
Overall, Elliott played 28 games in all competitions, which included six starts as he totalled five goals and three assists in 822 minutes of action.
In comparison, he made 53 appearances, including 27 starts, in the 2023-24 campaign when he scored four goals and provided 11 assists.
"It's just a situation that me and the team have to have a conversation about because I'm coming into an age now where I'm 22, I'm going to be 23 next season," said Elliott when asked if he is considering leaving Liverpool.
"I don't really want to be wasting years on my career because it's a short career. You don't know what's going to happen.
"I need to reflect. I need to see if I'm content in doing what I'm doing and how can I improve as a player because that's the most important thing.
"I just want to improve and be the best possible version of myself. If that's to go somewhere else, then it's a decision that I'm going to have to make and I just need to see what happens.
"Nothing makes me want to leave. I love the club, I love the fans, the team. I support them as well. But most importantly, it's just about what's best for my career."
Liverpool are trying to sign attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer which could further limit Elliott's chances of first-team football.
Elliott, who was sidelined for about three months when he suffered a broken foot in September, added: "After my injury, I think it was always going to be hard, but I'd hoped I would have got some more opportunities - but football is football."
Elliott, who joined Liverpool as a 17-year-old from Fulham in July 2019, returned from injury in December.
He hoped scoring a late winner in the first leg of a last-16 Champions League tie at Paris St-Germain in March would be a turning point for him, but it proved not to be the case.
Elliott was a half-time substitute against Southampton in Liverpool's next game before the second leg of the tie against PSG, which the Reds lost on penalties.
"I thought PSG [first leg] was kind of a high for me, especially with the Premier League game coming up a few days later," said Elliott.
"I thought it was an opportunity for me to get a start and showcase what I can do and just get a nice run out, but the boss is the boss.
"He's the man in charge. He's the reason why we've won the league, because of his decisions. His decisions were not to start me - I can't complain."
