Harvey Elliott says he is ready for a “second chance” at Liverpool and keen to enjoy his football again after a “tough” loan spell at Aston Villa.
Elliott joined Villa last summer on a season-long loan, with a clause in the deal stating Unai Emery’s side were obliged to sign him for £35m if he made 10 appearances.
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Villa decided early in the season they did not want to trigger that option, meaning the 23-year-old played only nine games and a total of 277 minutes, with Emery describing the situation as “embarrassing for everyone involved”.
Elliott returned to Merseyside earlier than planned this summer and has featured in both of Liverpool’s pre-season games under new manager Andoni Iraola.
Reflecting on his move to Villa, Elliott said: “I wanted to go and explore something, come out of my comfort zone and do something I thought personally that would take me on as a player again.
“But unfortunately it didn’t work out.”
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Elliott was speaking after Liverpool beat Wrexham 1-0 in a pre-season friendly in New York.
“Now I’m here and it’s kind of a second chance, if you want to call it. Especially with the gaffer and new coaching staff coming in, it’s another chance to impress and hopefully get in their good books,” he said.
“I wish Villa nothing but the very best. I had a lot of love for them and they treated me very well. Unfortunately, the situation happened but it’s another learning curve.
“I’m here now and I’m trying to cement my spot in the team or within the squad.”
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Elliott developed in Fulham’s academy and made his Premier League debut aged 16, before joining Liverpool in 2019.
He played regularly under then manager Jurgen Klopp but less so in the title-winning season under Arne Slot, making 18 Premier League appearances in 2024-25 before joining Villa, a move that brought challenges.
“Mentally, it was a very tough one, it was a learning curve,” said Elliott, who helped Emery’s side win the Europa League last season.
“It was an opportunity for me to experience something new, as much as I didn’t want to do it, and I don’t wish it upon any other player, because it’s not nice at all.
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“But I have no hard feelings. I’m on the other side of it now. I was able to get through it and achieve something at the end of the season as well, another historical moment for the club, and to be part of that was another great situation.”
Looking ahead, Elliott, who won Player of the Tournament as England U21s won Euro 2025 last summer, says he is unsure of his future but will speak to Iraola later in the season.
“Right now, I’m just thinking about making sure I’m physically and mentally 100%, and trying to impress on the pitch,” he adds. “I think when it comes to the right time of asking him [Iraola], that’s when I’ll go and ask.
“Ultimately, it’s just down to me. As long as I’m putting in the effort of hard work and the desire on the pitch, then I feel like I have the opportunities to go in and ask.
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“But I’m really happy to be back. Since the first day I walked through the door at training, I had a big beaming smile on my face.
“I’m wearing this strip again and putting this shirt on, and I just want to be free, and play as much as I can, and just enjoy it, because sometimes I don’t feel like I do it enough. Playing at Liverpool, there’s no better feeling.”
Gomez to miss start of the season
Joe Gomez was taken off in the eighth minute of the friendly against Sunderland [Getty Images]
Joe Gomez will miss the start of the Premier League season after Iraola confirmed the Liverpool centre-back sustained a muscle injury in a 4-2 win over Sunderland on Sunday.
Speaking in Chicago, the morning after Liverpool beat Wrexham in New York, Iraola said: “Joe has a muscle injury. It was quite clear since he complained straight away so he will be some weeks off.
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“It’s difficult to say – normally one month [out]. If it goes very good, then a little bit less. If it goes bad then a bit more but it’s a muscle injury. It’s not massive.
“It will be impossible to have him for the start of the season because we are not so far off but it shouldn’t be a lot more.”
Gomez is still with the squad in Chicago but, with Giovanni Leoni still sidelined and Virgil van Dijk not on the pre-season tour, Iraola has had to resort to Liverpool’s younger centre-backs. In more positive news, Jeremy Jacquet is set to make his debut when Liverpool take on Leeds in Chicago on Sunday.
“You’ve seen in these games that we are pretty thin in the centre-back position,” added Iraola.
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“The only centre-backs we have right now are Mor [Talla Ndiaye] and Ifeanyi [Ndukwe] who are both 18, just arrived at the club and are doing incredibly well. Luke Chambers played there – he’s not a centre-back but he played really well.
“Jeremy is ready to go and we will recover Virgil, but I’m happy that playing against Sunderland and Wrexham with 18-year-old centre-backs, the team has shown composure and solidity at the back and it speaks very well about them.”
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