'He has it' - Jurgen Klopp names 20y/o who will be 'super-influential' for Liverpool in the future

Jurgen Klopp has insisted Harvey Elliott will be at the fulcrum of Liverpool's plans in years to come.

The 20-year-old came off the bench to net the winning goal in the 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace last weekend - which moved the Reds top of the Premier League. Elliott has been confined to a role as an impact player for much of this season, making only one start in the top flight so far.

Summer signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have been preferred in the number-eight roles, along with Curtis Jones, while Mo Salah's berth on the right-hand side of attack is insurmountable.

However, Elliott's impact coming on as a substitute has been positive in matches aplenty and there is a growing clamour for him to become a regular from the outset. The England under-21 international is expected to start when Liverpool face Union SG in the Europa League tonight. And Klopp has tipped Elliott for a bright Reds future. Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Liverpool manager said: "For me, Harvey is what we really forget from time to time, he is still super-young and has had an incredible amount of games already – and top games.

"We can go back, before the bad injury (a broken leg in August 2021) Harvey in that period was the best player we had, he had the best performances definitely. Then he got badly injured, came back and took a while before he got up to speed again. What he showed in the last game and what he showed in a lot of moments when we bring him [in], what he showed for the under-21s with England, that's all what Harvey Elliott can be.

"With his skillset, he will be in the future super-influential in a team because he can connect things, he has the ability to do that. He has the overview, the technique, the dynamic. He has it. Did he bring it always on the pitch when he played? No, but that's normal. I wouldn't blame anybody for that, least of all him. I am really happy he could show it because a player with his ability needs to have finishes as well. He can shoot and he can play the last pass and all these kinds of things. It was a really good sign again of how good this boy can be and, of course, we want to use that."