According to Liverpool Echo, Harvey Elliott continues to face difficulties following his loan move to CF Valencia and is being tested by new head coach Javier Aguirre.

It would be little surprise if Harvey Elliott felt as though he has been cursed over the past two and a half years. The Liverpool FC midfielder has endured a run of misfortune, and his attempts to revive his career have proven difficult.

Since his move to CF Valencia earlier this month, a change of scenery has failed to improve his fortunes. Elliott made his La Liga debut as a substitute in a match where Valencia lost to Barcelona 5-0. Less than two weeks later, Carlos Corberan, the manager who brought him to Mestalla, was sacked.

Now Elliott must impress new manager Javier Aguirre, an experienced coach who took charge this week after managing the Mexican national team. Aguirre recently drew attention for a heated touchline exchange with England international Anthony Gordon during the FIFA World Cup.

"There is a lot of work to do," Aguirre said at his unveiling on Thursday. "The league still has a long way to go, but there are things that need to be done."

Elliott is hoping for more playing time. To date, he has appeared as a substitute for Valencia in three matches, totaling 85 minutes, but all three have ended in defeat.

The only match he did not play in during this period was Valencia's 1-0 away victory over Alavés. That win helped Valencia escape the La Liga relegation zone, sitting one place and one point above Málaga.

Elliott's fitness was incomplete when he joined the club, something local media quickly noticed. The extended international break provides him with an opportunity to improve his physical condition.

However, this is hardly surprising. Since the end of the 2023/24 season, Elliott has started just 9 of 103 matches, with only 3 of those starts coming in the Premier League. It is difficult for players to maintain match fitness when they are not playing consistently over such a long period.

Signs of concern emerged as early as May 2024, near the end of Jürgen Klopp's tenure as Liverpool manager. The departing manager said at the time: "If I regret one thing, it's that Harvey Elliott perhaps didn't play enough. During a very important and intense period — January, when we had many injuries — he played very well."

"He may have been our best player at that time, playing on the right wing and in midfield positions where he could cope. When everyone came back, his playing time became inconsistent, and he never started again after that."

In fact, Elliott made 53 appearances that season and started in the final four Premier League matches. However, after Arne Slot arrived, the versatile midfielder was largely seen as a number 10 option, a position firmly held by Szoboszlai. Although Liverpool eventually won the title, Elliott did not benefit greatly from it.

Subsequently, his loan move to Aston Villa became a nightmare. Unai Emery quickly decided that Elliott was not part of his long-term plans and did not give him enough playing time to trigger a mandatory purchase clause valued at £35 million.

However, he remained an unused substitute when Villa defeated Fiorentina in the Europa League final last season, making him the only Liverpool player to win a major trophy last season. Nevertheless, he did not play a single minute during the final two months of the season.

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