Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy doesn’t expect Harvey Elliott to be at Anfield next season “if Arne Slot stays” as head coach.

The 23-year-old was loaned to Aston Villa at the start of the campaign on the assumption that the move would become permanent, but it soon became apparent that the Midlands club were not interested in keeping him. Asked about Elliott’s situation by aceodds.com, Murphy said that he is a big fan of the player, but his future hinges on who will be in the Reds dugout:

“For Harvey Elliott, if Arne Slot stays in charge, he needs a new home. I felt for him this year at Villa, what’s gone on. It’s my understanding that it’s not down to him. Even Emery has said that he trains well, he’s a great lad. You have that financial situation where if he plays X amount of games, you know all that stuff.”

“The reality is he’s a super player. He’s very creative, brave on the ball. He’s a Premier League level player for sure and he’ll be desperately open to a change of manager because another manager might really like that type of player.”

“And there is an argument to suggest that times this season he would have got more minutes if he was there because he brings something different. He’s got that fire in his belly, he’s got that tenacity about him and he’s a goalscorer, he makes things happen.”

“But if Slot stays, I think he’ll be looking for pastures new to go really and express himself and make up for the season that he’s missed. I don’t think his lack of time for Villa this season is based on his ability. We’ve seen what he can do. He’s had a good role to play for Liverpool over the last couple of years and I think there will be plenty of takers for him. It will depend if Liverpool stay with Arne Slot.”

Why has Elliott been left out in the cold?

Villa would have had to pay £35m to Liverpool to make the deal permanent if he had played 10 Premier League games.

Manager Unai Emery has recently said that the situation has been “embarrassing” for all parties involved. The Reds were not willing to remove the obligation to buy, and they did not have the option to recall him in January either.

Ultimately, it has meant that Elliott has wasted an entire season, having played 284 minutes in total across all competitions.

Will Slot stay at Liverpool?

At the moment, it seems the club have full confidence in the Dutchman, despite unrest among the fanbase after a poor season.

Reports suggest that the Reds do have four managers in mind if they do decide to sack Slot, but the Merseysiders are not planning to make a change at this time.

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