Harvey Elliott has defended the amount of game time he was afforded by manager Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool during the 2022/23 season.

After an extremely impressive 2021/22 campaign out on loan at Championship side Blackburn Rovers, hopes were high for Elliott heading into his first full season back at Anfield.

In total, Elliott would start 18 Premier League games for the club, making a further 14 appearances from the bench, and he struggled for minutes late in the campaign as Liverpool pushed their way back into the top-four race.

Despite some claims from fans that he had lost Klopp's trust, Elliott jumped to the defence of his boss.

"If anything, I've played more than I expected this season," he told the Daily Mail. "People keep saying I'm young but I don't feel like it! When you step back, put it into perspective, this was my first proper season at Liverpool. The amount of minutes and experiences I've gained have been great and hopefully I can kick on."

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Liverpool have been heavily linked with a number of players who play in a similar position to Elliott so far this summer, with one in Alexis Mac Allister already signing for the club.

With fears looming that a wave of new midfield signings could affect his playing time next season, Elliott admitted: "Klopp hasn't said much [about the future] to be honest. It's up to me to go out and find those answers. I trust him with everything. It's all part of it, I'm still young - still growing up - and I'm not expecting to play every game.

"We've bought one new player [Mac Allister] and there will be more to come. It's about making sure, with respect to them, that I am better. It's healthy competition, it's what you want."

Elliott is set to feature heavily for England during the Under-21 European Championships this summer - a tournament the team are one of the favourites to win.

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This article was originally published on 90min as Harvey Elliott makes honest admission over Liverpool role.