Danny Murphy has told talkSPORT that Harvey Elliott will become a ‘terrific’ player as the Liverpool midfielder has a great range to his ability for manager Jurgen Klopp to develop.
Elliott returned from five-months out following surgery for a fracture dislocation of the left ankle earlier this month. Klopp played his return cautiously with substitute outings against Leicester City in the Premier League and Cardiff City in the FA Cup, while rested at Burnley.
The 18-year-old sitting out the Turf Moor encounter proved a precursor for Elliott starting against Inter Milan in the Champions League. He featured for 59-minutes at the San Siro on Wednesday, while becoming the youngster Reds player to start in the UEFA competition.
Elliott was clearly still trying to find his feet after multiple months on the sidelines against Inter Milan. Some of his attempted passes were rushed and he occasionally lost possession in dangerous areas, too. But the big occasion never appeared to intimidate the youngster.
Murphy backs Klopp to make Liverpool gem Elliott a ‘terrific’ star
Elliott will have gained a lot from the Liverpool midfielder’s first taste of Champions League football against Inter Milan. The England U21 international has also now amassed 16 first-team appearances, starting 11, for the Merseyside natives across all competitions.
Murphy is confident Elliott has shown enough in his fledgling career to have a promising future with Liverpool. He also believes the former Fulham prospect has the confidence to play at the level Klopp needs and can get supporters as excited as the former Reds star is.
“I enjoy watching him play, he’s a creative footballer whose got great technical ability,” he said. Adding: “Elliott has got that maturity about his game, which you have to have to be put in the team.
“I’m really excited to see his development because I think he’s one of those players that gets fans on the edge of their seat because he’s got that silkiness, he can manipulate the ball, he can go past someone and he’s going to score goals.
“With his ability on the ball, keeping him more central is probably the way to go, which is why I think Jurgen’s playing him in a midfield three. He’s going to be a terrific player.”
Elliott scored his first senior goal for Liverpool during their FA Cup win over Cardiff earlier this month. He has also offered two assists so far in his career, with both in the EFL Cup.
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