The new 16 year old gem in Merseyside

Article by Joe Hagan-Duckers @JoeHDuckersLast month, Harvey Elliott became the youngest ever player to start a game for Liverpool as The Reds beat MK Dons 2-0 to enter to fourth round of the EFL cup which will see Arsenal visit Anfield for the second time this season. Elliott was part of a group of youngsters which featured for Jurgen Klopp’s side at Stadium MK and it is fair to say the 16-year-old impressed.Born a day before Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool lost 4-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2003, Harvey Elliott grew up in London where he played for QPR and Fulham at youth level. In September of last year, at just 15 years of age, Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic substituted Elliott on during The Cottagers’ 3-1 away win at Millwall, becoming the youngest ever player in the League Cup, and was in school the next day.During the same season, Elliott broke another record, becoming the youngest player in the Premier League when he came on again as a substitute for Fulham in their 1-0 defeat at Wolves. Despite being so young, the Fulham coaching staff were obviously convinced with his talent, and this quickly brought suitors. And after his contract expired with the London club, the boyhood Liverpool fan’s dream came true when Jurgen Klopp came calling, posting a picture of himself in the 08/09 away shirt on his Instagram after joining the club.Immediately, all over social media pictures of this lad with a top knot, eyebrow slits and a chin strap surfaced, and it was safe to say fans were quick to note Elliott’s flamboyant appearance. Elliott became Klopp’s second signing of the summer after with a compensation fee yet to be agreed between Fulham and Liverpool, with the West London club believed to be seeking £7 million.Nevertheless, the signing of Elliott alongside the 17-year-old Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg underlined an emphasis of youth in a transfer window where many plenty of eyebrows, with and without slits, were raised. Goalkeepers Adrián and Andy Lonergan would follow the two youngsters into the newly crowned champions of Europe. Adrián has covered brilliantly for Alisson and with Harvey Elliott starring against MK Dons some of those eyebrows may have now relaxed.Fourteen minutes after hitting the crossbar with a close-range shot, the winger showed us exactly why a host of clubs such as Barcelona were interested in the youngster last summer before he chose to swap Fulham for Liverpool. After dribbling past two MK Dons players effortlessly, Elliott delivered a brilliantly flighted ball to Milner who headed the ball wide. It was very nearly a perfect end to the game for Elliott, but he was unable to become Liverpool’s youngest ever goal scorer after hitting the crossbar for the second time with a curling shot inside the penalty area.Following the game, he impressed most supporters and was rewarded with a player rating of 9 by The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle. But it wasn’t just his quality on the pitch which brought plaudits for the young winger. After a young Liverpool fan ran onto the pitch following the full-time whistle on Wednesday, Elliott showed his class by handing the starry-eyed supporter his match shirt. A boss gesture after a boss performance.As a 21-year-old it hurts me to say that a 16-year-old lad, who is not even allowed to drive or go for a quad vod in Faculty is supremely better than I have been or ever will be at footy. Really does. But I’m not assed as long as he is belter for the Reds. Honest. His performance at Stadium MK certainly underlined to me we have a real talent on our hands. Klopp thinks so too, calling him a “brilliant boy” in his post-match interview, adding to the praise he has received.Crucially, it’s now up to Elliott to kick on and fulfil his potential, and I don’t think there is anywhere else better than Liverpool for his development. Having a world-class manager in Jurgen Klopp, two world-class wingers to look up to in Salah and Mané, and world-class professionals like Milner provides an excellent platform for the youngster. In particular, a model professional in Milner, who has experienced so much in the game, will be vital with Elliott at such a young age.After joining The Reds last summer, videos infamously surfaced of Liverpool’s new signing mocking a certain striker for Tottenham Hotspur. This then resulted in a 14 day ban, £350 fine and some additional education work for the youngster who will undoubtedly be embarrassed with the incident as a whole after such a strong performance in the EFL Cup. But these mistakes are expected, he is only a kid after all, and rightly apologised for his actions. Maturity will come as he gets older, but there is no doubting his talent is years beyond his age. And with Klopp being a big advocate of rotation in the domestic cups, the winger is certainly set to feature in a number of games throughout the season. This will give the precocious talent vital first team experience and will aid his development massively.Obviously, nothing is set in stone and the lad may turn into the next Mark Gonzalez rather than the next Mo Salah. But, if his last performance is anything to go by, Liverpool have a real gem.