Damien Delaney has warned it is a ‘big ask’ for Harvey Elliott to carry the weight of the Liverpool midfield during a difficult period of form for Jurgen Klopp's side.
Former Crystal Palace defender Delaney added that teenager Elliott has ‘done great’ this season but questioned the eagerness at which many have pinned their hopes on a 19-year-old who is still developing.
Liverpool have endured a lacklustre start to the new campaign, winning just two of their opening six Premier League games before suffering a 4-1 Champions League humbling at Napoli. But one of the very few bright sparks in that poor run has been Elliott, who has featured in every game - starting all but two - and drove an otherwise struggling midfield forward.
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But while former Republic of Ireland international Delaney has backed the promising midfielder to kick on in his personal development, he warned of placing too much pressure on someone so young at a club as big as the Reds.
“He is developing,” Delaney told Off The Ball . “Bringing Harvey Elliott into the team last season would have been great. But asking him to pick up the club and to go, ‘you know what, everybody’s lacking here. Milner’s struggling. Everyone is struggling. Can you carry us?’
“He might well do. But it’s a big ask for the kid. He is just tidying up around the edges, learning and developing in a team that’s done really well. It’s very difficult for young kids to carry the weight of the football club, especially the size of Liverpool. He has done great and he just needs to keep doing his thing, then it will kick into gear.”
The current mini-break in fixtures - followed by the upcoming international break - should hopefully give some of Liverpool's injured senior midfielders a chance to return to full fitness, relieving some of the pressure from Elliott. But the former Fulham youngster is likely to be a prominent figure again as Liverpool host Ajax on Tuesday evening in the Champions League.
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