'Not possible': Steve Nicol gives verdict on what Harvey Elliott would have done at Liverpool this season
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Harvey Elliott could have certainly helped Liverpool this season, according to former Reds full-back Steve Nicol.Despite Elliott being a firm fans’ favourite at Anfield, Liverpool chose to send him to Aston Villa on a loan with a buy obligation late in last summer’s transfer window.Sadly, things have not worked out at all for the 22-year-old, with Villa reneging on a deal which would see him complete a permanent move after 10 appearances. With Elliott stuck in limbo – and due to return to Liverpool in June – Nicol says he would have been an asset to Arne Slot’s struggling team.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Elliott could have helped LiverpoolDespite Elliott falling out of favour under Slot last season, it is difficult to see why it would not have been worth keeping him around for the 2025/26 campaign.Given the injury issues Liverpool have succumbed to, Elliott would likely have played even more than he did last term, and when asked why the former Fulham starlet would not have helped this year, Nicol admitted that there was simply no argument he could make.“I couldn’t say that [Elliott wouldn’t help], I think Harvey Elliott couldn’t do anything other than help,” the pundit told ESPN FC. “It’s not possible.”Photo by Carl Recine/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: The embarrassing reality of how Everton really could finish ahead of Liverpool“I think he [Slot] probably decided he wasn’t a first-team starter, but you’ve got to have a squad.“He’s still on loan but he hasn’t played at Villa either, so there’s maybe something that we don’t know that people who are closer to him spotted.
Villa obviously decided very, very quickly that they didn’t want him.”It is clear that Slot also decided that he was not keen on Elliott, but with the Dutchman’s future very much up in the air, it remains possible that there is a way back at Anfield for the former Red.Whatever his failings physically, Elliott always gave 100 per cent when playing for Liverpool, and that is something that has been badly lacking from Slot’s players this season. Given how badly his spell at Villa has gone – and just how woeful the Reds have been without him – many fans will be frustrated at just how correct Nicol is here.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox