The Harvey Elliott Dilemma

Dr Andy asks the big question...

I really enjoyed the Under 21’s Euro final last night. Of course I watched with red-tinted spectacles. Were we right to sell Jarell Quansah as he looked a serious player? Does Tyler Morton have a future with us? The main talking (or thinking) point, however, was around young Harvey Elliott.

Player of the tournament with goals aplenty. Surely with the prowess he showed we should consider keeping him? We’re a reactive bunch, and I think we should contemplate the issues rationally in the cold light of day.

Firstly, have we really learnt anything we didn’t already know? He’s a really good player with an eye for goal. He might be young, but at 22 he’s been around the team for a good few years now, so maybe less room for improvement than we might hope. There’s no doubt that at the highest level he was far more experienced than many of those around him last night.

In my opinion, there is one main question to be answered. Is he ever likely to be a regular first teamer in our current squad, or even likely to challenge? I think if the answer is ‘no’, then he won’t want to stay, so our desires are a bit of a moot point.