There were a few minutes left on the clock, with England’s finest level against high-calibre opponents in Europe, when Harvey Elliott advanced on goal. He took aim and, with clinical precision, turned match-winner. Not just in the semi-finals of the European Under-21 Championship, either: with a similar flair for late drama, Elliott condemned the eventual Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain to defeat in the Parc des Princes.
Perhaps it was sadly symbolic of his club season that even its finest moment counted for nothing. PSG eliminated Liverpool in the second leg. Elliott became a Premier League winner, but as a bit-part player. If he is to add the right kind of medal from the U21 Euros, and only Germany stand in his way, it will be as vice-captain, as England’s, and perhaps the tournament’s, top scorer, as talisman and a talent unleashed after spending much of the previous 10 months sat on various benches. After a mere 360 minutes of Premier League football last season, he has already played 385 in the European Championship.
