Andoni Iraola has delivered the confirmation we were hoping for. This pre-season will be fun.
Andoni Iraola gave his first press conference as Liverpool's head coach on Monday morning. The Spaniard is about to properly oversee his team on a pre-season tour - and we can't wait to see what's in store.
Especially after his gave a few confirmations in his press conference. Above all, he promised the kind of style of player we've all been craving, suggesting we'll see a return to the high-octane, vertical football played under Jurgen Klopp.
But there was another key confirmation in there: that Harvey Elliott has his big chance. Elliott endured a nightmare season last time out, joining Aston Villa on loan.
Villa quickly decided that they didn't want to pay the £30m option to make the deal permanent. However, that option triggered automatically if Elliott played 10 Premier League matches - so Unai Emery made sure he didn't.
The playmaker spent virtually all season out of the team and returns to Liverpool having essentially wasted a season. Unwanted under Arne Slot, it seemed Elliott was destined to try again somewhere new.
However, Iraola's appointment offered the potential of another chance. The boss has now confirmed that, claiming that Elliott actually returned to pre-season training early, working with the Under 21s for a week.
And now Elliott is set to have that opportunity to impress, potentially forcing his way back into the setup at Anfield. It's certainly the kind of chance that Iraola should be handing out.
The squad is light with all the departures over the last year and Elliott offers some continuity - as well as creativity that Liverpool don't have to go and buy from somewhere. In fact, it looks increasingly unlikely that they'll find a better creative player than him.
Elliott, after all, is elite at his best. It always felt wildly unfair that Slot didn't give him proper opportunities, especially after Klopp was so high on him.
But Iraola looks set to right that wrong. Elliott will get his chances and, with any luck, become a Liverpool player once again. We love to see it.
