Arne Slot confirms Harvey Elliott's Liverpool future after disastrous Aston Villa loan

Harvey Elliott has endured a difficult loan spell at Aston Villa, and Liverpool boss Arne Slot has confirmed the winger will return to the club ahead of next season

Arne Slot has confirmed that Harvey Elliott "will be with us at the start of next season" after the youngster was sidelined at Aston Villa.

Elliott, 23, departed Liverpool for Villa last summer, agreeing to a season-long loan arrangement, with Villa obligated to purchase him in the next transfer window. It subsequently emerged, however, that the obligation would only be triggered once the Englishman had made 10 appearances for the club.

Elliott swiftly fell out of favour under Villa manager Unai Emery, leaving him stranded on nine appearances. The convoluted nature of the transfer — combined with Emery's reluctance to select him — means Elliott has managed just 284 minutes of first-team football this season.

Slot was quizzed about Elliott at his pre-match press conference on Thursday, ahead of Liverpool's trip to Birmingham to face Villa the following day. The loanee remains ineligible to feature against his parent club.

"I think for him (Elliott), everyone, didn't work as out as we wanted it," said Slot. "Usually sign a player on loan to use him, but hasn't happened a lot. Not for me to answer why that it is, but it is never nice for not many minutes. I assume he played more with us last season, and he went there for more time.

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"Such a talented player, he did so well at U21 Euros. You want a player like that to play more. But he went to a good team with a lot of good players.

"Not for me to answer, but it's always a pity when a player like that doesn't play a lot. He is contracted to us, so he will be with us at the start of next season."

Elliott's switch to Villa Park was meant to reignite his fledgling career. While he racked up 149 appearances for Liverpool and collected multiple honours - including last season's Premier League crown - the youngster was never able to cement a regular place in the starting line-up at Anfield.

Yet his ability was never in doubt. As Slot pointed out, Elliott was instrumental in England's U21 Euros success last summer, earning the Player of the Tournament accolade.

Whether Elliott will depart Liverpool once more before the forthcoming summer transfer window shuts remains to be seen. Openings are emerging at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah set to depart and Hugo Ekitike recovering from a severe Achilles tendon problem.

In reality, Slot could have benefited from Elliott's presence this season, as his squad has been ravaged by fitness issues. The Liverpool manager has found it difficult to settle on a consistent starting XI, with numerous players struggling to maintain full fitness.

Elliott may yet end the campaign with silverware, as Villa have progressed to the Europa League final. The Midlands outfit will take on Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday.

As for Liverpool, Slot's side will conclude the season empty-handed. However, the Reds still have plenty at stake; they need to win one of their remaining two fixtures to guarantee Champions League football next term.