Liverpool’s pre-season preparations appear to be going well. It would be foolish to read too much into results, but beating Real Betis and Arsenal is certainly preferable to losing to them.
There has been much for supporters to pore over as they begin their relationship with the Reds of Arne Slot. There have been formation changes, the use of two 10s rather than a striker and a corner routine which took everyone by surprise.
Despite these tweaks, familiar faces have been doing well. The match against Betis was settled by a Dominik Szoboszlai goal, which Mohamed Salah set up before scoring himself against the Gunners. The star man in the latter match was two-assist hero Harvey Elliott. Despite still being only 21 years old himself, the Liverpool midfielder has been talking up one of the younger players at the club.
Elliott spoke to The Athletic ahead of the Reds’ game with Arsenal in Philadelphia. He was superb in the match, creating all three Opta-defined big chances which Liverpool had. As well as teeing up Salah and Fabio Carvalho for goals, the number 19 set up a golden opportunity for Diogo Jota, but the Portuguese forward struck the post from it.
Carvalho is one youngster hoping to impress Slot ahead of 2024/25 and another is Trey Nyoni. Elliott was effusive in his praise of the 17-year-old during his recent interview.
“Trey has got everything in him,” he said. “He showed it the other night [against Betis]. He is fearless at such a young age. He just needs to keep going and trust the process.”
Nyoni was very impressive in the match against the La Liga outfit. He made eight passes into the final third, at least two more than any other player, and only misplaced four of his 46 passes overall.
Elliott also explained that he is happy to provide guidance to Nyoni. “I’ve spoken to him and the seniors who have been around it a lot longer than I have, they have spoken to him as well,” he said.
“I’ve captained England Under-21s a few times. This pre-season we have a younger group, so I want to be that voice. I want the boys to know they can come to me if they have anything they want to speak about,” Elliott continued.
“I have been there myself as a young lad in a massive club. I always had players around me that helped me out, so it’s kind of my job to help in any way I can.” Liverpool’s future is very bright if someone as young as Elliott is already helping out with talents as promising as Nyoni.