Harvey Elliott has opened up on his Aston Villa nightmare, saying he wouldn’t wish the tough year he experienced on anyone.

The 23-year-old was on a high last summer after being named player of the tournament as England won the Under-21s European Championship before he signed for Villa on loan with an obligation to buy for £35million.

But things quickly unravelled after when Elliott fell out of favour under new boss Unai Emery and was plunged into the bomb squad given the clause in his deal that the move from Liverpool would become permanent after playing 10 times.

Elliott could not join another club in January as he had already played one league minute for Liverpool before joining on Deadline Day and UEFA rules dictate players can only feature for a maximum of two clubs in one season.

Now the midfielder is back playing with the Reds, his boyhood club, and has spoken publicly for the first time about his lost year.

‘Mentally, it was a very tough one,’ says Elliott, speaking at the Yankee Stadium after featuring in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Wrexham. ‘(Going to Villa) was a learning curve. It was an opportunity for me to experience something new.

‘I don't wish (the situation) upon any other player, because it's not nice at all, but I have no hard feelings. I wish them all the very best. I did really have a lot of love for them. They treated me as one of their own and for that I respect them highly.

‘But it was tough, mentally and physically. I'm on the other side of it now. I was able to get through it, and achieve something at the end of the season as well (winning a Europa League medal).’

Elliott will be given a chance to impress this pre-season and has played in both wins on this tour of America, where they beat Sunderland in Nashville and Wrexham in New York.

His longer-term future is more uncertain with a second sale highly possible. However, for now, Elliott is keen to take his second chance and win over the trust of new boss Andoni Iraola — who he later described as ‘incredible’ — after former head coach Arne Slot deemed him surplus to requirements.

‘It’s an incredible feeling (to be back),’ he adds. ‘Everyone knows how much I love the club and I've supported them from a very young age, so the feeling never goes of putting a shirt on, representing the club and doing your childhood dream.

‘I wanted a new challenge. I wanted to kind of go and explore something, come out of my comfort zone, I thought personally that would take me on as a player again. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, but the way I see it is, that's last season — now I'm here. It's kind of a second chance, if you want to call it that.

‘Especially with the gaffer coming in. It's another chance to impress and hopefully get in their (good) books. But whatever happened last season, I wish Villa nothing but the very best, had a lot of love for them, and they treated me very, very well. Just keep looking forward.

'I'm here now, and I'm trying to cement my spot in the team or within the squad.’

‘Since the first day I walked through the door at the AXA (training centre), I had a big beaming smile on my face and, as I've said before about putting the shirt on, I don't want to take these moments for granted.

'Because last season, I thought it was the last opportunity I'd done it. I'm back now. I'm wearing this strip again and putting this shirt on, and I just want to be free, play as much as I can, just enjoy it, because sometimes I don't feel like I do it enough. Playing at Liverpool, there's no better feeling.’

Elliott placed on record that he harboured no ill-feelings to Emery, adding: ‘He explained very, very clearly and a fair few times. The whole club were very apologetic and ultimately, it was a situation that I couldn't control.’