Liverpool got the best out of Harvey Elliott on Sunday after Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders worked with the teenager on the defensive side of his game.
Elliott started and impressed in the 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday with Jurgen Klopp starting the academy graduate ahead of club captain Jordan Henderson.
The Athletic claim that Lijnders has been using special training drills and video analysis to help Elliott with his defensive role in the side, with the 19-year-old’s father also insisting on the importance of that side of his game.
Harvey is said to have ‘got it in the ear’ from his father Scott following the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.
His dad had a go at his son for allowing Ben White to get away from him to deliver a cross at the Emirates and having studied the footage, Harvey agreed that he should have got tighter to his opponent.
There were no such issues against City as the midfielder put in arguably his best performance of the season.
Elliott has typically played as part of a midfield three for Liverpool but has used on the right more recently.
Asked about the role, Elliott said he’s “really enjoyed it” and values playing in different positions to improve his game.
He said: “It’s nothing [too different] to what I’ve been used to, to be honest. I came here as a sort of right-sided player, whether that’s on the wing or in the middle.
“It was just something different, something fresh, which is always nice to switch it up and [have] different responsibilities again that I’ve learned from that game and took into my game now. For myself, personally I really enjoyed it.
“As I said, it was something different, something else that I could learn and take into my game and help me improve. But yeah, I think it’s always nice wherever you play on the pitch as long as you win. That’s the only thing that matters.”
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