Liverpool boss Arne Slot has shut down rumours suggesting that Harvey Elliott will be recalled from his loan at Aston Villa in January.
Arne Slot Shuts Down Harvey Elliott Liverpool Return
Arne Slot has shut down rumours linking Harvey Elliot with a Liverpool recall.
The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa in the summer on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for £35 million should he appear in 10 Premier League matches for Unai Emery’s side.
Thus far he has featured in just four league matches, with only one coming as a start.
Despite being fully fit, Elliott hasn’t played for the Villans in close to three months now. Many believe that this is because the West Midlands club do not want to activate his buyout clause.
Emery previously admitted that it is his decision that Elliott isn’t currently involved with the squad, while he also revealed that he will ‘not definitely’ be joining Villa on a permanent basis.
As a result, several reports have suggested that Liverpool may look to bring the England youth international back to Anfield, with the Reds short of options in both midfield and attack.
It comes amid uncertainty over the future of Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak’s injury.
With Elliott capable of featuring both in midfield and on the wing, many believe that it would make sense for Liverpool to cut his loan at Villa Park short to facilitate a return to Merseyside.
Reds boss Slot, however, shut down those suggestions, stating: “No, Harvey [Elliott] is an Aston Villa player. He’s supposed to be going there for a season.”
“Any questions about him, the best thing to ask is Villa. They are doing really well, by the way.”
Should Liverpool reach an agreement with Villa over the termination of Elliott’s loan, which seems unlikely, he would only be eligible to feature for the Reds for the remainder of the season.
This is due to the fact that FIFA rules stipulate that a player cannot represent more than two clubs in a single season, and, of course, he has already turned out for Villa and his parent club.
Arne Slot ‘Hasn’t Spoken’ To Harvey Elliott
Slot also touched on Elliott’s situation at the start of December, stating that he has had minimal contact with the former Queens Park Rangers and Fulham academy star.
He said: “I haven’t had contact with him a lot.
“I think only once or twice and that was before and after he played Feyenoord away – nothing to do with the fact he played against a former club of mine.
“I am aware of his situation. I knew how difficult it already was for him over here, so I think I know how he feels at this moment – but you should ask those questions at Villa and not over here.”
Elliott’s last appearance came on October 2 away at Feyenoord in the Europa League league phase, where he featured for just four minutes as his side claimed a 2-0 victory.
The Villans, who have now won 10 consecutive matches in all competitions and sit in third place in the table, travel to Chelsea on Saturday, with Elliott likely to miss out once again.
Liverpool, meanwhile, host bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds have enjoyed an upturn in form in recent weeks, having won each of their last three matches in all competitions against Inter Milan, Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur.
Prior to that, they had won just one in six, which saw Slot lead the Premier League sack race odds market as the favourite, however he has since drifted out to sixth favourite.
