Paul Gorst has shared an update from inside Liverpool as to when Reds fans can expect one injured player back in action.
Harvey Elliott has been sidelined since the September international break due to a foot fracture, missing the last seven matches for his club, although LFC’s social media channels posted footage of him training hard in the gym earlier this week.
It’s unclear yet as to whether the 21-year-old will be fit enough for inclusion against Chelsea on Sunday, but he certainly appears to be pushing hard to return at the weekend.
Gorst’s update on Elliott injury
Speaking on the Blood Red podcast, Gorst shared an insight into Elliott’s progress behind the scenes, with the midfielder targeting a comeback against the Blues in four days’ time.
The Liverpool Echo journalist said: “I spoke to someone at the top of last week and they said it was a possibility (that Elliott would be back training). I’m not sure if Liverpool are back in today, but he’s in the gym at the last check.
“That was towards the middle of last week. He was targeting a comeback for the Chelsea game, we believe, but there was some suggestion that was optimistic. We will see this week; hopefully he is closer to a comeback than not.”
Will Elliott be back in time to face Chelsea?
The Evening Standard cite ‘late October’ as Elliott’s projected return date, leaving it ambiguous as to whether or not the Chelsea match will come too soon for him.
Even if the 21-year-old makes the desired progress at the AXA Training Centre this week, Arne Slot might be reluctant to start him in such a crucial fixture so soon after his layoff, having handed him only seven minutes so far this term prior to the injury last month.
However, just to have the gifted ex-Fulham youngster back in the matchday squad for the crunch triple header against the Blues, RB Leipzig and Arsenal would be a welcome boost, particularly with Alexis Mac Allister starting for Argentina last night despite his own fitness concerns in recent days.
While Elliott hasn’t had much of a chance to prove himself to the new head coach thus far, his tally of four goals and 11 assists from last season shows that he can be a vital contributor to Liverpool.
Here’s hoping he’ll be back on the pitch before the end of this month, even if he’s bedded in slowly rather than thrown straight into the side at the weekend.