Harvey Elliott is "a special player", according to Jordan Henderson, who has praised the Liverpool starlet for his "outstanding" performance on his full Premier League debut.
Elliott, who returned to Anfield this summer following a loan spell at Blackburn Rovers, played the full 90 minutes of Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Burnley on Saturday after being handed his first top-flight start for Jurgen Klopp's side.
The 18-year-old was deployed in a three-man midfield alongside Naby Keita and Henderson, with the Reds captain hugely impressed by his energy and vision in the final third of the pitch.
What's been said?
Henderson has told Liverpool's official website of Elliott's performance: “Harvey’s a special player. He’s been fantastic last season when he was on loan at Blackburn and then he’s come back in great shape for pre-season and done really well, so he deserved his start today and I thought he took it.
“I thought he was outstanding, his work rate, but also obviously the stuff he can do on the ball, the final passes. Overall I thought he was outstanding.”
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Klopp's assessment of Elliott
Elliott's outing against Burnley at Anfield was only his 11th senior appearance for Liverpool since joining the club from Fulham in 2019, but Klopp insisted that he "was not surprised" by the maturity he displayed after a strong pre-season campaign.
“Harvey was part of this performance. Everybody wants to speak to me about Harvey and I understand absolutely when an 18-year-old plays such a mature game why everybody is asking, but I was not surprised he played like this," the Reds boss said post-match. “That’s exactly how he trained in the six or seven weeks he has been back with us from loan. It was good.”
What's next?
Elliott will be back in contention for a place in Klopp's line-up when Liverpool take on European champions Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday.
The international break comes thereafter, with the Reds not due back in action again until September 12 away at Leeds United.