U21 Euros star Harvey Elliott is struggling for opportunities on loan at Aston Villa from Liverpool, a stark contrast to the career boosts seen by previous award winners.
Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott is facing a pivotal career crossroads, with reports suggesting the U21 Euros Player of the Tournament must urgently emulate Newcastle star Anthony Gordon to kickstart his stalled development.
Despite his summer heroics for the Young Lions, including decisive goals against Spain and the Netherlands, the 22-year-old midfielder has found opportunities severely limited since moving to Aston Villa.
The move to Unai Emery’s side was intended as a launchpad, but Elliott has featured for a mere 167 minutes out of a potential 810 since joining, managing just one start.
This lack of involvement has sparked concern, especially given the immediate success of his U21 Euros predecessor, Anthony Gordon, who translated his award into his finest goalscoring season and became a pivotal figure at Newcastle United.
Villa manager Unai Emery justified the midfielder’s omission by stating: “He is training well, and he played some matches, but the performances weren’t what we needed.
Some players are playing as a No. 10, and they are playing well, like Buendia and Rogers, also Ross Barkley after he was out.”
For Elliott, the situation is compounded by a mandatory purchase clause in his loan agreement, obligating Villa to sign him permanently regardless of his playing time.
Having previously commented on the necessity for greater focus on his path, saying he needed “to be selfish with myself and see what’s best for me,” the young talent now has time to reverse his fortunes.
The focus is now on drawing inspiration from players like Thiago who successfully used the U21 tournament as a springboard, rather than those who faded into obscurity.