For many young Liverpool supporters, witnessing a Premier League title win from the front row would be a dream come true. However, for Harvey Elliott, it has occasionally been a source of professional frustration. It's been six years since Elliott left Fulham for Liverpool, joining his childhood team with a reputation as one of the most promising teenagers in the country, having made his top-flight debut at just 16 years and 30 days old in May 2019.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Elliott transitioned from a promising youngster to a reliable midfield player, with only Darwin Nunez making more than the now 22-year-old's 53 appearances across all competitions last season. The England under-21 international played 119 games for the Reds under the previous manager, a testament to his remarkable maturity at such a young age and the confidence this instilled in his former boss, especially considering long-term injuries and a season on loan.
However, under new manager , the situation has changed dramatically. Elliott is still waiting for his first Premier League start, with his 14 league appearances being the fewest since he managed only six in the 21/22 season due to a severe ankle injury that kept him out for nearly five months.
A foot fracture sustained while on England duty last September also sidelined the attacker for nearly three months this season - a crucial period for getting to grips with current head coach Slot's style. By the time Elliott was match-fit, team-mates Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones had solidified themselves as regular starters.
Elliott told the : "I think it's been a lot more difficult for me because I obviously had that injury at the start. But at the same time, you need to be here for the team, work as hard as you can and when the opportunities come on the pitch.
"A lot of times this season it's almost been [coming on] when we've been losing or drawing, so it is about trying to change the game, try and turn it around and have a positive impact. But, you know, any minutes for are amazing.
Despite his limited playing time spurring rumours of a departure from Anfield, with the likes of Brighton and Borussia Dortmund showing interest in January, Elliott has reiterated his determination to stay and compete for a spot in the team.
Elliott added: "I hope that I can push on [next season]. This is my team, I am committed to them and it's just a situation that is always going to have a lot of talk, I just need to think about what is best for my future, my career and as much as I want it to be here.
"You never know what is going to happen around the corner. If I had it my way, that would be here, I would play each and every game here and stay here for the rest of my career but it all depends on managers, the people above and as I said you don't know what could happen but as far as I am aware I am here, here to stay and this is the club I want to be at.
"Hopefully I am still here to be honest. It is the best place to be, the best club to be at and especially having the fans around us at the moment, I don't think there is a better place to be playing.
"Players go through ups and downs but at the end of the day you have to come out fighting and I think it is within myself to make it happen. So hopefully I can stay here for the rest of my career."
Despite being only 22 years old and one of the youngest members of the Reds squad, Elliott has already made nearly 150 senior appearances for the club since his days as a promising talent at Fulham, indicating that his most productive years are still ahead of him.
The Liverpool starlet said: "I had the loan spell at Blackburn when I was 17 and I've been around the first team since then. That is football, you know, everyone's journey isn't the same.
"There are different pathways and ways to get there and I am at a moment in my career now where I want to be playing every week at Liverpool. I know that is always going to be difficult at a club like Liverpool, the quality of the players we have, everyone.
"It's just about enjoying these moments, being around the team, the players and learning as much as I can and making sure I can show everyone at Liverpool I am good enough to play and be a permanent starter."
He also credited the seasoned pros within the squad for their role in Liverpool's unrelenting pursuit of another league title, their second in five years. With only two losses so far this season, Elliott said: "The squad has leaders, experienced players who have been through it all: the highs, the lows, the heartbreak. I think, you know, we have all cemented it together not to experience that [heartbreak] again and especially for those types of players who have been through it all.
"We want to make sure we do everything we can to achieve what we want to do. And I think we have stuck together as a team throughout the season and it has given us the reward now. We have all these things now to be grateful for, to look forward to and the biggest players will be allowed to enjoy the situation."
Despite the significant influence of key figures at Anfield, Liverpool's primary motivation this season has been the chance to share Premier League glory with their fans.
Five years prior, the Reds were robbed of this joy, finishing their last nine games in an empty stadium due to the pandemic. Elliott eagerly anticipates what is set to be a historic celebration on Monday, May 26.
"Absolutely, this one is going to be insane with the Premier League trophy with us," he enthused. "We have obviously won it before, five years ago, but while it was in a period of COVID, we weren't able to celebrate with the fans as much as we would have liked. It is going to be unreal scenes, to see the city flooded in red and it's not that we don't know it but to see that support once more will be incredible.
"I think [the parade] has been on our minds, but the main thing has been just to get the job done, get it over with. The minute you start thinking too much about elsewhere you could go off the rails. I don't think as a squad we've thought about it too much because I don't think anyone needs to tell us how much it is going to mean to everyone.
"We know that and we see how much it means every single game, so for us, it was just about making sure we get it over the line, making sure we get it done and then we have everything to look forward to and be excited about. That is when the experiences and the memories can come.
"I think no matter where you are from, if you support this team you will know the fundamentals of it all here at Liverpool and what it means. Living in the city, as well, you can see how much everything means.
"We just want to keep driving ourselves on and keep allowing the fans to celebrate with us all together and keep celebrating the success that hopefully comes now. We love the club, we love the city, the fans and we just want to achieve more and more.
"The circumstances when we won it last time were very difficult. But then when we had the parade after the Champions League to mark the Carabao and FA Cup, when we turned up there, to see the city, you know, it was red everywhere.
"It was an experience for myself, it makes you want to achieve more and work harder for such a wonderful club. It felt like we all just connected with the city and the parade is a memory that I will never forget and to be able to do it again, it drove us on a lot because we wanted to experience this stuff."
