Andoni Iraola was full of praise for Harvey Elliott in Monday’s press conference – his first as the new Liverpool head coach.
“Harvey is here with us,” he said. “I have seen him with this eagerness of showing himself, getting himself ready again.
“He will have a chance during the pre-season. We will need him and it’s a good sign he came one week earlier.
“He’s been training with the U21s and I hope we can see him in a good place.”
The decision to loan out Elliott to Aston Villa, with an agreement that included a £35 million conditional obligation to buy if he made 10 Premier League appearances, meant that he became frozen out of Usai Emery’s first team and was unable to return to Anfield.
“I think Harvey comes from, especially last season, had to be very difficult for him because it was a strange situation where basically they couldn’t even put him to play,” added Iraola.
“I think he uses this, what he has experienced – the bad situation he has experienced – to make him even more eager to be a Liverpool player, yes.”
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