Jason McAteer has described Harvey Elliott as an ‘absolute superstar’ in the making and predicted that he could be Liverpool’s answer to Xavi or Andres Iniesta in the near future.
Six weeks after lifting the Champions League title last June, the Reds made Elliott – then aged just 16 – their first signing of that summer after agreeing a deal with Fulham for the prodigious talent.
It was a slow first year for Elliott at Liverpool but, of course, it was by design as Jurgen Klopp used him for only six minutes in the Premier League, though he did feature a lot more in cup competitions.
The 17-year-old has been mainly used out wide by Klopp so far, but former Liverpool star McAteer believes that the youngster could flourish in a central-midfield role long term – and even tips him to reach the standard that the Barcelona duo set for many years at Camp Nou.
He told The Off The Ball podcast in Ireland: “Obviously we have got Harvey Elliott – who is going to be an absolute superstar. He’s 17…what an attitude, what a player. He’s playing wide at the minute but I can see him slotting into that midfield central area. Maybe as a Xavi or an Iniesta [type].
“If he develops the right way, he could be as good as one of those players. And that’s saying something. This kid has got the lot.”
McAteer clearly means well, but Klopp and other Liverpool coaches must shield the player from this kind of hype.
It’s still so early in his career and there’s a lot that can go wrong yet, so it’s imperative that the German manager keeps him grounded and doesn’t allow him to swept away by the tide of hype, as so many others have before him.
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