Harvey Elliott could hope to turn a corner in the final months of his loan at Aston Villa, having played only his second full 90 minutes in nine months on Friday.
Elliott’s disastrous switch to Villa last summer has ended his chances of a call-up to the England squad for the World Cup.
Not part of Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man group for this month’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, he instead travelled for a warm-weather training camp in Spain.
As part of their time in Murcia, Villa took in a friendly with LaLiga side Elche on Friday afternoon – with Elliott starting and playing the full 90 minutes.
He was in fact the only player to stay on for the duration of a 2-1 loss and was heavily involved throughout, including creating a chance for Tammy Abraham and then going close with a volley of his own in the first half.
It was his first 90 minutes in two months, having last come in for a shock start against Salzburg in the Europa League in January after 123 days in the cold.
And to highlight his situation further, Elliott has now played a full 90 minutes only twice in the last nine months since a regular run during England’s triumphant U21s Euros last summer.
Training in the sun ?? pic.twitter.com/6bJoyhFwCy
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 26, 2026
Villa’s trip to Spain came without a number of Unai Emery’s first-choice starters, including the likes of John McGinn and Morgan Rogers who are ahead of Elliott in the pecking order.
But it could be that the 22-year-old now comes into contention on a more consistent basis in the final months of the season.
Harvey Elliott: 2025/26 Appearance Tracker
| Competition | Appearances | Trigger Counted? |
|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 4 | YES (6 to go) |
| Europa League | 4 | NO |
| FA Cup | 0 | NO |
| League Cup | 1 | NO |
| Total Apps | 9 | — |
* Note: The £35m mandatory purchase clause is only triggered by Premier League appearances.
Though Emery’s reluctance to trigger a £35 million obligation-to-buy clause has seen Elliott rarely feature in the Premier League, the terms of the agreement mean he could feature in up to five of the remaining seven games without earning a permanent move.
He is also free to play in the Europa League, where Villa will face Serie A side Bologna in the quarter-finals on April 9 and 16.
Could Harvey Elliott stay at Liverpool?
If he were to feature in any of the upcoming games it would be a boost to not only Elliott but also Liverpool, who will face another big decision over his future come the summer.
While it is clear Arne Slot had no long-term plans for the No. 19, there is no guarantee he will be head coach beyond the current campaign.
A change in the dugout could provide Elliott with another opportunity to prove himself at Anfield, which would almost certainly be his preference having seen his move to Villa fall through.