"He’s got the ability" - Stewart Downing on Liverpool starlet Harvey Elliott

Ahead of the Liverpool legends game at the weekend, former Liverpool player Stewart Downing has spoken about his former teammate Harvey Elliott.

Despite being 19 years his senior, Stewart Downing has actually shared a football pitch with Elliott.

During the 18-year-olds successful loan at Blackburn Rovers last season, Downing was also at Ewood Park in what would be his final season in professional football.

Downing will be playing at Anfield in this weekend's Liverpool vs Barcelona legends game and the 37-year-old spoke about his former Blackburn teammate.

“He found himself playing in the middle, he didn’t do that a lot for us at Blackburn, maybe once or twice. But he took the position at the start of the season, playing ahead of some big players,” Downing told Liverpoolfc.com.

“You can see his ability for a young player, he’s quite mature for his age; the way he plays and his positioning, he’s not a young player who runs everywhere and is undisciplined, he’s quite mature for his years.

“Going to Liverpool and being coached by Klopp before he went on loan is massive for him because he's playing with world-class players every day, the standard will be unbelievable really.

“Barring injury at the start, he would have had a massive run in the team and you’ve got to give him credit for that. He’s definitely got the ability.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

When Downing signed for the Reds in 2011 for £20m, fans were hopeful he could become a talismanic player. Unfortunately, it never worked out like that but he is still a respected figure amongst Liverpool fans.

The Englishman played 91 games for the Reds and his wealth of experience would've been a great lesson for Elliott during the year they spent together.

It will also be great to see Downing back at Anfield after nearly 10 years since leaving the club. It's set to be an exciting game with the likes of Steven Gerrard & John Barnes playing for Liverpool while Barcelona will have Edgar Davids and Guillermo Amor, amongst others.