Jurgen Klopp is set to hand promising Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott a new first team shirt number ahead of the 2022/23 season, according to The Mirror.
Elliott has been tipped to do big things on Merseyside, and his new squad number will reflect his important role in the squad.
According to leaks on Twitter, Elliott will be given the number 19, a big upgrade compared to the number 67 he was given after being promoted from the youth team.
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Being a left-footed, right-sided, teenage winger, Elliott adopting the No.19 has drawn comparisons, from some Liverpool fans, to the early development of Lionel Messi, who also adopted the No.19 as a youngster at Barcelona.
Elliott was set to play an important role for Liverpool last season before suffering a gruesome injury during Liverpool’s 3-0 win away at Leeds in early September 2021.
The injury kept him out for a number of months and he did not return until, January 2022, where he was not able to re-stake a claim in the team due to the form of Thiago and Henderson.
He did however make a scoring return against Cardiff in what Jurgen Klopp described as a ‘fairytale’ return for the youngster.
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His performances prior to the injury were drawing a ton of praise and the Englishman was clearly trusted by Jurgen Klopp, as Elliott kept the veteran professionals, Thiago and Milner, out of the team.
His outstanding breakthrough stint on loan at Blackburn, during the 2020/21 season, earned him Jurgen Klopp’s trust and having now fully recovered from his injury, Elliott is expected to play a ‘much bigger role’ in the upcoming season.
As Milner and Henderson are hitting the twilight years of their careers, and Naby Keita’s contract is set to expire in 2023, the upcoming season could be the year that Elliott stakes his place in the first team.
Moreover, with Liverpool reportedly set to go for Jude Bellingham next summer, the Reds are clearly building for the future, and a midfield of Elliott and Bellingham will be sure to excite the Kop faithful for many years to come.
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Topics: Harvey Elliott, Liverpool