On loan Liverpool star praised for recent attitude

On loan Liverpool star praised for recent attitude Harvey Elliott can still make this Valencia loan count There are loans that drift by in a haze of excuses and there are loans that sharpen a player, harden him, force him to confront the bits of his game and his professionalism that need sanding down. Harvey Elliott’s move to Valencia still has time to become the latter. The 23-year-old left Liverpool this summer in search of regular football, the kind that had begun to feel beyond reach after a frustrating campaign and a stop-start spell at Aston Villa before that. The plan was simple enough, get him playing, get him believing, get him back into a rhythm that once made him look one of the brightest young attacking midfielders in England. Photo IMAGO Instead, the early weeks in Spain have been awkward. Elliott has yet to start a league game for Valencia and there were unhelpful suggestions that he arrived short of peak condition. For a player trying to restart his career, that sort of noise can cling. Javier Aguirre backs Harvey Elliott Yet there is encouragement in the stance of Javier Aguirre. New managers often sweep away the preferences of the man before them, particularly when results have gone sour and change has arrived in a hurry. Elliott could easily have become collateral damage after the departure of Carlos Corberan, who had pushed for him. He has not. Aguirre has seen enough in training and in the numbers to believe the Liverpool loanee can help Valencia. More than that, he has sounded like a coach prepared to invest in him. He said: “I am fortunate that I communicate in their language. I see him more refined, he is working with a private nutritionist. I’m delighted with his attitude, he has a lot of quality and he’s a Valencia CF player. You have to get the best possible out of it.” Valencia loan offers Liverpool midfielder a route back That matters. Attitude is often the first test for a player abroad, especially one whose progress has stalled. Aguirre’s words suggest Elliott has responded properly. They also hint at something more important, that Valencia see him as part of the solution, not an afterthought. The match against Villarreal now looms as another chance, whether from the start or from the bench. Elliott needs minutes, influence and his first goal involvement. Liverpool will be watching closely, because this Valencia loan was built around one idea, recovery through responsibility. If Aguirre follows through on his faith, Elliott may yet find that Spain gives him the reset he has been craving.