“He’s contracted to us so he will be with us”: Arne Slot confirms Harvey Elliott set for Liverpool return after Villa loan woes | OneFootball

Arne Slot has said Harvey Elliott will be a Liverpool player next season after a disappointing loan spell at Aston Villa.

Elliott left Liverpool to sign for Aston Villa on a season-long loan last summer but has struggled for regular first-team football. The 23-year-old has played on 110 minutes ofPremier League football, with Villa opting against using the winger to avoid obligating the £35m purchase option.

It has resulted in a frustrating season for Elliott, whose career appears at a crossroads this summer. Liverpool face Aston Villa in thePremier League tomorrow evening, and Slot was asked about Elliott's future at his pre-match press conference.

“I think for him, for everyone, it didn’t work out as he wanted it, as we wanted it and probably also how Villa wanted it, because you usually sign a player or bring him in on loan to use him.

“That hasn’t happened a lot. That’s not for me to answer why that is. But of course, it’s never nice for a player not to make so many minutes, especially after the season he had with us, where he made – I assume – even more minutes with us than these 280.

“He went over there to get more playing time, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.

“And for such a talented player that did so well in the U21 Euros [last summer], you want a player like that to get more and more playing time.

“He went to a very, very good team as well, where they also have a lot of good players. I don’t know why he hasn’t made the minutes he was expecting. That’s not for me to answer.

“But it’s always a pity if a player hardly plays for two years, let alone a player of that age that has shown during the [U21] Euros that he’s such a good player. He’s contracted to us so he will be with us in the start of the season.”

Unai Emery suggests Elliott's Aston Villa exile for financial reasons

Unai Emery was also asked about Elliott's loan spell and said the situation has been 'embarrassing for everyone involved'.

"To now explain about the reason for this decision is very difficult, or it is easy, but it is not the moment," Emery said on Thursday.

"My apologies for Harvey Elliott are, every day, in my mind. We have our responsibility and Liverpool have their responsibility. How the season has gone has been difficult."