Harvey Elliott will surely now stay at Liverpool whether they want him to or not

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Liverpool’s behind closed doors match against Como offered some instruction into who Andoni Iraola sees as being crucial to his project, and who may find themselves falling away from it.For Harvey Elliott, it will not have been a surprise to find himself on the fringes of the squad this summer and playing during the training ground clash with Como, where he featured on the right wing.Just as he has failed to do throughout the summer, Elliott simply could not get into the game, becoming visibly frustrated by his limited impact as he started to look for the ball in central areas. Santiago/Chris Brunskill/Fantasista When it did come to him, Elliott did not use it especially well, and it is becoming harder to make a case for him being part of the Liverpool squad in the coming season.With only two weeks left of the summer transfer window, there is still a chance for the 23-year-old to leave the club, but it is clear that the season spent without football at Aston Villa has seriously affected him.

If any potential suitors will have been watching him closely this summer, they will have seen a player who looks a long way short of being ready to play regular first-team football.Elliott doesn’t look ready to play in the Premier LeagueElliott’s loan at Villa really could not have gone worse for him, and on the back of a frustrating year playing less than he would have liked under Arne Slot, it was the opposite of what he needed.It was positive to see him return to Liverpool early from his summer break, and nobody has ever questioned Elliott’s attitude towards his profession.READ MORE: Where Victor Munoz played against Como and what it tells us about Liverpool’s winger transfer plansNevertheless, it is fairly clear that having missed a full season, the former Fulham prospect is going to take a while to get himself back match fit and ready to contribute.For someone to come in and buy him at this stage of the window, they are going to have to be sure that he can return to the physical condition he showed before the move to Villa. Though that is obviously possible, what Elliott has served up this summer has not offered much encouragement in that respect.Ordinarily, a loan move would make the most sense here, to a club who are willing to put the time into building Elliott back up and playing him regularly once he’s ready.But as his Liverpool contract expires next summer, that would mean the Reds effectively agreeing to Elliott leaving for nothing one year down the line.

There is no logic to that from a business point of view.Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesHaving already seen a £35m fee for Elliott go up in smoke last year, it is unlikely that Liverpool will be happy to lose yet more money on a player who is easily worth that amount when firing on all cylinders.For the moment, though, Sunday’s performance from Elliott was another reminder that both he and Liverpool are in limbo. Iraola may not have been convinced by his No.