Critchley backs Elliott to make Pool grade

LIVERPOOL Under-23s coach Neil Critchley believes Harvey Elliott is “not too far” away from making his mark on the first team.

Elliott showed why Liverpool signed him from Fulham in the summer, despite being on the receiving end of a 5-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final hiding from Aston Villa on Tuesday night as the Reds fielded the youngest team in their history.

The youngest player on the Villa Park pitch at 16, the England youth international produced a captivating, energetic performance and only a brilliant save from Orjan Nyland denied him a goal.

Asked as to how close Elliott was to regular senior football, Critchley said: “He is not too far because he trains with the first team on a regular basis, so he has had first-team exposure already.

“The manager and the staff think a lot of him. I thought he was a constant threat, a really good outlet for us. He was reliant on others getting the ball to him, and I thought the service to him was top class as well.

“I wouldn’t want to single anyone out because I thought the whole group of players, the subs included, we couldn’t have done any more.”

Critchley, meanwhile, defended the club’s stance in fielding a line-up comprising all academy players, with the entire first-team squad on duty in Qatar for the Club World Cup.

“It’s what was decided by the club, that this was the best solution,” said Critchley.

“And try telling them players it was a bad thing for them. If you’d have come into our dressing room at the end, you would know the feeling those players have had.”