‘It was very difficult’ – Harvey Elliott opens up about Liverpool exit in heartfelt statement | OneFootball

Harvey Elliott has opened up about his ‘need’ to be ‘selfish’ in deciding to leave Liverpool at the end of the summer transfer window.

The 22-year-old completed a loan move to Aston Villa on deadline day, with the deal to become permanent for £35m once he makes 10 appearances for Unai Emery’s side this season (The Athletic).

The England under-21 star posted an emotional farewell message on social media upon leaving the Reds a fortnight ago, and he’s now confessed that he felt compelled to move on from Anfield in order to play more regularly, having struggled for game-time under Arne Slot.

Elliott opens up on ‘selfish’ decision to leave Liverpool

Reflecting on the decision to depart his beloved LFC, Elliott said (via Liverpool Echo): “It was very difficult. First of all the decision to leave and then on top of that to find the best club.

“There were a few difficult decisions I had to make. I had to sit down and speak to the team and go into a lot of detail, but it was the decision that was made and the decision was to come here.”

The 22-year-old continued: “I loved every minute of it; every second, every day. I wouldn’t change it to be honest, I learned so much from being there and experienced many things, but I think the most important thing for me when I was making the decision was to be playing first-team football.

“I need to be in a team where I’m getting regular minutes. Whether that’s starting or coming off the bench, just having that feeling of going into a matchday knowing you’re going to play, that’s the only way I can improve now.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

“The love I have for Liverpool is still going to be there forever and that’s not going to change. I’m still going to be watching and looking out for them from afar. I’m wishing them all the very best, but sometimes in football you need to be selfish.

“I made the decision to leave because I wanted to do what’s best for me. I take all of my experiences and everything I learnt from Liverpool. Hopefully I can start to kick on now.”

Hopefully Elliott will become a regular starter at Aston Villa

No Liverpool fan could begrudge Elliott his move to Aston Villa, with the 22-year-old naturally feeling that he needs to be playing more regularly at this stage in his career, having been unable to truly break into Slot’s starting XI.

His love for the Merseyside club has been made clear in numerous previous declarations, and it would’ve devastated him that he felt compelled to move on from the Reds for the betterment of his career.

Having played just seven minutes across our first four matches of the season before joining Villa, he had 19 minutes off the bench in his new club’s goalless draw at Everton on Saturday (Transfermarkt), so he already seems far more likely to be given the game-time he craves under Emery.

Hopefully Elliott will forge his way into the starting XI in the Midlands, and he could yet give the struggling Villans the attacking impetus that they so badly need, having failed to score in any of their first four Premier League games this term.

Our former no.19 couldn’t have gone about his exit from Liverpool any classier, and so long as he doesn’t come back to haunt us directly, we’d love to see him smashing it elsewhere – a lad like him deserves it!