Michael Owen has praised Harvey Elliott as “a very good player” but revealed why he doesn’t want him in the England squad yet.
After his starring role with the Young Lions last summer, Elliott would have been expected to be on the verge of breaking into the first team.
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The 22-year-old was named player of the tournament as Lee Carsley’s side won their second consecutive European title in Slovakia.
Elliott scored five goals – second only to Newcastle’s record signing Nick Woltemade – and retained the trophy he helped win in 2023.
His outstanding success strengthened his ambition to leave boyhood club Liverpool after sinking down the pecking order under Arne Slot.
Elliott made just six appearances in all competitions for the Reds last season, eventually joining Aston Villa on deadline day.
Read more about Harvey Elliott
The midfielder was initially sent on loan with a £35m commitment to buy based on appearances included in the deal.
Despite scoring Villa’s first goal of the season in their Carabao Cup exit against Brentford last month, he has only played around a quarter of the available Premier League minutes.
He was sent off at half-time in his first top-flight start at Villa Park and now faces a race against time to impress Thomas Tuchel.
On Elliott, former England and Liverpool striker Owen told The Pitch Prospect: above casino.co.uk: “On paper it looked like a good move.
“Of course you’re taking a step back from Liverpool. However, you’re still playing for a very good team and you would have thought the point of moving from Liverpool was to get more playing time.”
“He hasn’t necessarily started every single game for Villa. Ultimately, if you don’t play very regularly, it’s hard to imagine being called up for England.”
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Harvey Elliott statistics
Before the international break, Elliott made only a late appearance in the Europa League win against Feyenoord, but was unused in the 2-1 win against Burnley.
Unai Emery claimed he needed time to get used to Villa’s style of play but the timing of his rare appearances couldn’t be worse.
Tuchel missed three of Elliott’s competitors at No. 10 this month in Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, with Cole Palmer also injured.
However, his difficulties in getting started under Emery meant that the golden opportunity to make his senior debut was in vain.
Owen added: “I like Harvey Elliott, he is a very good player and I hope he has chosen the right club.
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“He’s done a lot since he’s been there, so we’ll just give him some time. As we know, it’s only been six or seven games.”
“If I were the England manager I wouldn’t have him in the England team yet.
“I think he’ll have to be one of the star players at Villa to achieve that and he’s not quite there yet. But as I said, let’s see how the season progresses.”
Harvey Elliott transfer
Elliott was keen to regularly explain why Jurgen Klopp was keen to sign him for Liverpool as a 16-year-old in 2019.
Three months after joining, he became the then second-youngest debutant in Liverpool history in an EFL Cup game away to MK Dons.
At the start of the 2021-2022 season, Elliott burst into Klopp’s first team, starting each of the first three Premier League games.
However, an ankle injury sustained in the 3-0 win at Leeds hampered his progress and he has only played supporting roles since then.
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An injury sustained at the start of the slot era last season kept him out until December, when Liverpool were top of the league.
After his departure, Mo Salah wrote on social media: “I have no doubt that you will achieve great things at your new club. They are lucky to have you.”