Harvey Elliott has truly slipped under the radar for Liverpool. But quietly, the 20-year-old has delivered some outstanding performances during the season.
There is no doubt that he hasn’t started as many games as he would want. He was clearly more prominent in the starting lineup last season. But not having that pressure on him, and coming off the bench, has actually proved to help him.
Elliott is playing with renewed confidence and energy. Every time he steps onto the pitch, he makes an impact and creates opportunities for his teammates. Elliott has lately started for Liverpool in the absence of Mohamed Salah and has made an immediate effect.
He was great against Luton, even more stunning in the Carabao Cup final, where he played all 120 minutes, and also put in solid performances against Southampton and Nottingham Forest. Elliott not only passes the eye tests, but he also leads the statistics.
In one important metric, only Pascal Gross outperforms Harvey Elliott.
According to the football statistics account @SawkurGod on Twitter, among midfielders who have made at least 23 appearances this season in Europe’s top five divisions, only Pascal Gross averages more predicted assists per 90 minutes than Harvey Elliott.
Elliott may only have three Premier League assists, but his statistics suggest he should have more. When he is on the pitch, he consistently creates high-quality chances. Perhaps his teammates’ finishing touch is lacking.
But Elliott can’t assist with that. Having said that, Elliott has already contributed five goals in the Premier League, which is his record for a single season in England’s top flight. And he did it all in just over 700 minutes, contributing about one goal every 146 minutes. Not bad.
