Harvey Elliott made his Valencia debut in a heavy defeat against Barcelona, with the Liverpool attacking midfielder coming off the bench a few minutes into the second half
Harvey Elliott made his Valencia debut against Barcelona(Image: Pedro Salado/Getty Images)
Harvey Elliott made his debut for Valencia in a heavy defeat to Barcelona on Sunday, with the Liverpool loanee playing more than a third of the game off the bench.
Goals from Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha had already put Barcelona in control by the time Elliott, wearing the number 10 jersey, was introduced. Pedri added a fourth goal late on and then Yamal grabbed his second and the Catalans’ fifth. Anthony Gordon, another English player, assisted the second goal.
Leaving Liverpool in search of more game time, Elliott made a limited impact in the game. He had 25 touches but only one in the Barcelona box, with Hansi Flick’s men dominating possession.
The player is under contract at Anfield until 2028, so a strong season in Spain could give him another chance to impress Andoni Iraola next summer. Alternatively, he could earn a permanent move elsewhere.
“An incredible club,” Elliott told reporters in Valencia after he landed in Spain to undergo his medical.
“I’m really thankful for the opportunity. I’m going to play as well as I can here and I know the history of the club.
Elliott during a training session at AXA Training Centre(Image: Getty)
“It determines a lot of hard work and I’m going to give everything I have for Valencia. It happened quite quick and I was ready for the call.
“It’s just making sure I’m ready to come here and play and I am. I’m here now and I’m looking forward to it.
“The goal is to get Valencia into European football. It is an incredible club and I want to do the best I can for them. I feel like with the team, we can do that, but it is going to be a hard season.
“I’ll play anywhere. I’m just happy to play football. But as a number 10, that is where I think I am the most effective.”
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Valencia is managed by the former West Brom boss Carlos Corberan. It is currently at the bottom of the La Liga standings, having picked up just one point from four matches, which came against Celta Vigo.
Liverpool.com says: Elliott has a huge amount of talent, but he just needs regular action. Get on the pitch enough and he will get that sharpness back again.
Valencia seems like a good club for him to get his career back on track. After last season at Aston Villa, he just needed a chance to show what he can do again.