Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock was blown away by the performance of Reds youngster Harvey Elliott against MK Dons on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old starred as Jurgen Klopp’s men eased to a 2-0 victory over their League One opponents, and Warnock was very impressed by the summer signing’s debut display.
“[He showed] a maturity way beyond his years,” he told Sky Sports. “Often you see youngsters, 16 years old, and they take too many touches because they’re nervous, they want to get the ball under control.
“He’s pinging balls in, one touch and round the corner, clever play. I thought his miss last night, when he hit the crossbar early on from so close, might have dented his confidence. It didn’t at all. This guy is full of confidence and you could see it in his performance, how well he did. Very unfortunate not to score late on, he can be delighted with his performance.”
OPINION
Everything Warnock says here is absolutely spot on. This was a scintillating display from Elliott, full of skill and energy, which demonstrated just why Klopp was so keen to bring the young man to Anfield this summer. His potential is abundantly clear, and the fact that he is still just 16 years of age is absolutely extraordinary. When you look at the statistics from his performance at Stadium MK, it highlights just how involved he was in everything positive from a Liverpool perspective. As per WhoScored, the Englishman had 76 touches of the ball on Tuesday, having four shots and producing three key passes. Oh, and he also hit the crossbar twice. He made 55 passes with a success rate of 87.3%, the second highest amongst the Reds’ teenagers who featured. His long ball accuracy, though, was even more impressive. Elliott nailed all three of his long balls forward. His WhoScored rating for the game of 8.21 was second only to captain James Milner’s 9.59. This really was an incredible performance and, as Warnock says, Elliott should be delighted with his efforts.
