Harvey Elliott was spotted posting online during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
The Premier League encounter saw the Englishman miss out on the encounter entirely as the Reds got back to winning ways.
Goals provided by Ryan Gravenberch and Mo Salah pushed Arne Slot’s men back into the top four.
Elliott joined the Villans on loan in the summer, with the agreement including an obligation to buy.
Could Harvey Elliott return to Liverpool?
The Athletic reported on Thursday (13 November) that there isn’t a recall clause for Liverpool to activate in the Young Lions international’s season-long loan.
In worse news for Harvey Elliott – neither the Reds nor Aston Villa have indicated that they’d be prepared to cut the deal short.
| Games | Was Harvey Elliott included in the squad? |
| Man City (H) | No |
| Liverpool (A) | No |
| Maccabi Tel Aviv (H) | Yes (*no minutes played) |
| Bournemouth (H) | No |
* Aston Villa’s last four games in all competitions (as of 14/11/2025), via Transfermarkt
Despite having been excluded from the squad entirely in three of the Villans’ last four games (across all competitions), this tells us that Unai Emery believes his loan star still has a future at the club.
The question is now whether or not the footballer can adjust to the Spanish head coach’s ‘strict footballing demands’.
A definitive decision on that front is highly unlikely to come before January. So we should assume that Elliott will be allowed to stick things out at Villa Park for the foreseeable future.
What did Harvey Elliott post during Liverpool vs Aston Villa
The on-loan Liverpool midfielder jumped onto Instagram stories to share a screenshot of the game mid-action.
To be clear, the scoreline was level with only 17 minutes on the clock, as Elliott posted a couple of love heart emojis.
A fair show of neutrality towards his parent club and the outfit he could yet end up joining permanently come the summer transfer window.
Why wasn’t Elliott playing against Liverpool?
The rules around loan deals meant that the 22-year-old was ineligible to face his parent club.
However, putting that aside, Harvey Elliott has still struggled to accrue regular minutes under Unai Emery in the 2025/26 season.
| Harvey Elliott stats |
| 5 appearances |
| 168 minutes |
| 1 goal |
* Harvey Elliott stats at Aston Villa in the 2025/26 season (Fotmob)
Villa staff have, despite that, been reportedly impressed with what they’ve seen from the young footballer.
But that’s hardly been reflected in his match minutes so far this season, which is hardly encouraging as far as hitting the 10 appearances target is concerned.
There’s a long season ahead, of course, and we’re all too aware at Anfield of Elliott’s talents and ability.
Is there space at Liverpool?
The picture doesn’t look any prettier for the Young Lions star over in Merseyside, given the multiplicity of top midfielders in Slot’s squad.
There’s perhaps an argument to be made that Harvey would be particularly suitable as backup to the profile Florian Wirtz offers.
| Liverpool midfielders | Minutes |
| Dominik Szoboszlai | 1,260 |
| Florian Wirtz | 948 |
| Ryan Gravenberch | 844 |
| Alexis Mac Allister | 726 |
| Curtis Jones | 631 |
| Wataru Endo | 235 |
* Liverpool midfielders ranked by minutes played (in all competitions) in the 2025/26 season (Transfermarkt)
However, one gets the impression that the footballer is very keen on securing a more regular supply of minutes in the English top-flight.
He’s unlikely to get that at Liverpool, but things clearly need to change, given he’s currently on fewer minutes than Wataru Endo.
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