Harvey Elliott says that he is “angry and frustrated” by his role limited to Liverpool this season, but retains a “hunger” to perform at a high level when he has the opportunity to shine by Arne Slot.
The 21-year-old did not start a match in the Premier League this season and came out of the bench for the last four minutes of the Champions League Tuesday 16 stage against Paris Saint-Germain, but it still has enough time to score a famous winning goal.
These four minutes add to a total of more than 500 to 1800 appearances, Elliott struggling for opportunities in the same position as Mohamed Salah, who is one of the favorites of the Golden Ball of this season. His difficulties have aroused speculation about an distance from Anfield, although Elliott has repeatedly closed rumors.
“There are moments in the season when I get angry, I’m frustrated, because I want to play,” said Elliott (via Time). “But at the same time, I need to respect the situation. I have to respect the manager’s decisions. Some games I need, some games, I’m not. That’s how football is.
“We have had conversations. Very honest conversations and open conversations. It’s up to me to put the work, to be honest and show [Slot] Everything he told me. I try to work there, I try to improve and try to participate in this team.
“And, at the same time, I feel like I can’t be too angry and frustrated because, frankly, the team goes incredible.”
These strong emotions have helped to inspire a series of impressive cameos from Elliott, which has now marked in each of the last three games of the Liverpool Champions League.
“I need to use this anger and this frustration and transform it into motivation,” Elliott told LFCTV.
“I still want to play football in the Champions League. It is not a question of being able to see that I am frustrated, it is a question there for the team. Although I only played five minutes against PSG, I had the mentality of wanting to help the team as much as possible.
“You just need small moments when confidence becomes greater and better and, hope it, more opportunities arise. The manager has his decisions and tactics and you have to respect this as a player.
“As a player, you must always stay composed,” added Elliott. “Football is full of ups and downs. You can spend periods of time without playing and things are not really going on.
“It’s just about staying motivated and mentally in the head. But moments like this one, it keeps me motivated and hunger is always in me to go out and show what I can do and influence the game as much as possible.
“We train as a team, we are fighting as a team and we are in the position where we are this season because each of us has contributed in a certain way. This is what a football team is doing.
