"Asking him to pick up the club" - Damien Delaney on Harvey Elliott

Former Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney believes that Liverpool can't rely on Harvey Elliott to carry the midfield.

The 19-year-old has had a reasonable start to his senior career. Elliott has scored two goals and registered two assists in 28 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.

The Englishman has also averaged a WhoScored player rating of 6.75 across the early stages of the 2022-23 campaign (six starts).

Elliott has been Liverpool's best midfielder so far this season. But, Delaney is adamant that the Reds can't rely on the youngster for the entire campaign.

“He is developing,” he told Off the Ball, as quoted by HITC. “Bringing Harvey Elliott into the team last season would have been great.

“But asking him to pick up the club and to go ‘you know what, everybody’s lacking here. (James) Milner’s struggling. Everyone is struggling. Can you carry us?’

“He might well do. But it’s a big ask for the kid. He is just tidying up around the edges, learning and developing in a team that’s done really well.

“It’s very difficult for young kids to carry the weight of the football club, especially the size of Liverpool. He has done great and he just needs to keep doing his thing, then it will kick into gear.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

We do agree with Delaney. Elliott is still learning his craft. So, there should be no pressure on the midfielder as far as we are concerned.

Hopefully the other central players start to pull their weight. Elliott can't be doing all the work.

On another note, Liverpool will face Ajax at Anfield tomorrow night. The Champions League group stage clash will kick-off at 8pm UK time.