Ex-key Liverpool figure explains why first-team star is likely to LEAVE

Liverpool have acquired a slightly different style under Arne Slot than they had when Jurgen Klopp was manager.

Games are less chaotic with the Reds exerting much more dominance via possession and territory in their Premier League matches.

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But Liverpool remain a physically impressive side with Slot demanding hard running from his players. If they fail to meet the required standard, as the head coach has stated himself, it will be very difficult to excel under him.

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That was the case too under Klopp. He asked a lot of his players in a physical capacity with Liverpool’s stars going above and beyond the call of duty in order to gain their success.

And there is perhaps a hint in Slot’s words - as well as a recent interview with a key Liverpool figure - as to why Harvey Elliott may well be facing an uncertain future.

Is Elliott physically up to it?

Not only does Elliott struggle to match the physical output of some of his teammates - such as Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister - he doesn’t measure up height-wise either at just 5’7.

And the Reds’ former Lead Recruitment Analyst, Patrick Montgomery recently gave an interview to the Breakdown - an offshoot of the Overlap - explaining why physicality was - and remains - such a key indicator in the recruitment process.

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“Physical was a big one because of how the team played,” he said. “Quite transitional, high-intensity running, all across the pitch. Less structured and less controlled than it may be now under the new manager.”

Elliott to exit?

Although Elliott finished last season as first choice, he wasn’t always uppermost in Klopp’s thinking. The same has transpired under Slot.

But is there a place in the Premier League for a player like Elliott these days?

“Now you look at any Premier League team it's so rare, unless you're super elite technically and you're a game changer on the ball,” admits Montgomery about players without the highest levels of physical output.

“That's the only case where you could maybe get away with it. And even then we're saying ‘not athletic’. These players are still athletic.”

Elliott has been linked with a move away from Anfield ahead of the summer transfer window with Borussia Dortmund and Brighton both rumoured to be interested.

So even though he’s got significant talent on the ball, he perhaps doesn’t have the sufficient physical bandwidth to impress Liverpool’s head coach. And that could end up leading to his departure.

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