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It has marked the death sentence for many burgeoning Liverpool careers.
Times are rare when promising youngsters enjoy long spells in the Reds’ first team after being sent on loan.
Think of the players who have risen through the ranks and made a lasting impression at Anfield during the Premier League era.
Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, to this day with Trent Alexander-Arnold and, I hope from Liverpool, Curtis Jones.
None were on loan, but continued their development at Melwood.
There have been some notable exceptions: Martin Kelly, Jay Spearing, and Stephen Warnock all had a few years as regular first-team players, for example, but, with Jurgen Klopp at least, youth loans have generally only led to a career elsewhere.
It’s no wonder, then, that there was a murmur of surprise when it emerged shortly before Friday’s domestic transfer deadline that Harvey Elliott will spend the remainder of the season at the Championship team’s Blackburn Rovers.
At first glance, the move is a no-brainer.
The arrival of Diogo Jota – and, more pertinently, Xherdan Shaqiri’s decision to stay – has meant there is little chance of first-team action in the coming months for Elliott, who remained on the bench in the fourth-round outing of the Carabao Cup for Arsenal earlier this month.
But lingering doubts sparked by Liverpool’s previous loan trend should be alleviated by the progress already made by the 17-year-old.
For starters, Elliott had already made his Premier League debut before arriving in Liverpool, becoming the youngest player to appear in the competition while at Fulham in April 2019, having done the same in the League Cup earlier in the year. that season.
And he has wasted little time with the Reds, scoring in his U21 EFL Trophy debut, becoming the youngest player to start a first-team match for the club by making his senior debut in the Carabao Cup win over MK Dons. and, in the next round at home against Arsenal, being the youngest to start a game at Anfield.
Elliott became Liverpool’s youngest player in the FA Cup and the second youngest to appear in the league. He also scored a goal and provided five assists in seven UEFA Youth League games and was a regular contributor to the U-23 Premier League 2.
(Image: Matthew Ashton – AMA / Getty Images)
Like Curtis Jones, there is a feeling that Elliott is already too good for the Academy level. It would be of little use to ask him to participate this season in the U-23 in terms of his development, which will be accelerated by regular action in the Championship.
In fact, it wasn’t too bad for another young man who, like Elliott, played on the right wing, had been a focus of attention from a young age, came from the south, was addressing a giant from the northwest, and agreed. a temporary move to a former Lancashire power station.
The player in question was David Beckham, who, after breaking into Manchester United’s first team in the early 1990s, made an enormous impression for a brief stint at Preston North End before returning to Old Trafford. We all know what happened after that.
Moving to Blackburn means Elliott won’t be forced to pick up sticks and move elsewhere, lessening any interruptions and allowing him to focus on his football.
The international break is almost over and Premier League football is back in force.
Liverpool travel to Everton on Saturday for the first Merseyside derby of the season.
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The proximity also means Liverpool can easily monitor their progress, as the Reds were impressed with the way Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has helped develop youngsters who had been on loan.
Both Jurgen Klopp and assistant Pep Lijnders have expressed not only their admiration for Elliott, but their utter faith that the teenager will become a huge success in Liverpool.
There should be no worries about your loan movement. Rather than worry about the past, Elliott has long proven that he is adept at writing his own history. An interesting campaign awaits you.
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