Liverpool may opt to recall Harvey Elliott from his miserable loan stint with Aston Villa, with the 22-year-old English playmaker struggling under Unai Emery.

According to a report by Football Insider, Harvey Elliott has piqued the attention of Liverpool with his situation at Aston Villa. The West Midlands outfit signed the 22-year-old playmaker on a season-long loan deal on deadline day of the summer transfer window. However, that has not transformed the youngster’s career thus far.

The report has revealed that “there was a sense of optimism for the Englishman of making a significant impact ahead of the World Cup” when he joined Aston Villa two months ago. However, with Emery reluctant to give Elliott regular game time, the young playmaker may return to Liverpool midway through the 2025/26 season.

Harvey Elliott and his continued struggles

Harvey Elliott has not been a happy camper for nearly two years. While the 22-year-old has been impressive and promising since joining Liverpool from Fulham in July 2019, regular game time eluded him during Arne Slot’s time at Anfield. The struggles have exacerbated in the 2025/26 season, as his loan move to Aston Villa has not worked out as well as he would have liked.

The English playmaker has managed only 167 minutes of game time in five appearances thus far for Aston Villa. Unai Emery has been reluctant to hand any game time to the Liverpool loanee, even off the bench, and the report has speculated that the conditional obligation clause may have played a role in it.

What next for Elliott?

When Harvey Elliott joined Aston Villa, it seemed Liverpool and the youngster had made the right choice, as he seemed to fit into the style of play Unai Emery employs at the West Midlands club. However, Aston Villa will have to trigger the purchase obligation clause if Elliott completes ten appearances for the club.

That may have played a role in Emery’s decision to keep Elliott on the bench week after week, as Aston Villa may not want to complete a permanent deal for the 22-year-old Englishman. However, the situation has piqued the attention of Liverpool, as they are concerned about his future.

With Liverpool closely monitoring Elliott’s situation at Aston Villa, they may recall him from his dreadful loan. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the English playmaker as he attempts to break into his national side ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.