"Keep myself fit" - Harvey Elliott opens up about playing after his injury

Liverpool's 18-year-old midfielder Harvey Elliott has spoken about making his first appearance for Liverpool since March.

Speaking after Liverpool beat Southampton 2-1 on Tuesday, as cited by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, Elliott talked about how his injury has affected his minutes this season.

“It was nice to get back out there again in the Premier League, get some minutes and obviously I know I needed to keep myself fresh. I obviously had a terrible injury and I knew I didn't need to rush anything," he said.

“I just needed to keep myself fit and like you've seen today I needed to make sure I can get through the minutes I play. That is all I have focused on really.

"We've got a great squad with great players and to get out there and start again is a lovely feeling, just to put the Liverpool shirt back on and play 60 minutes. Hopefully I can get more minutes down the line, but we'll see.“

Anfield Watch Verdict

There was a lot of speculation around Elliott's involvement in the team after Jurgen Klopp did not select him in recent months.

However, it was clear that the German was in no hurry to rush the teenager back from what could've been a career-ending challenge that he suffered at the beginning of the season.

When you see the bond between Elliott and Klopp on the pitch, it's clear to see how much the German rates the Englishman.

Throwing Elliott into an FA Cup, Premier League, EFL Cup and Champions League run when he had just returned from that injury would've been a silly decision.

If we were short on midfielders then Klopp might have rushed him back but there is no need to agitate his injury unnecessarily.

Hopefully we get to see more of Elliott next season!