England U21 coach Lee Carsley has revealed how desperate Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has been to see action.

Elliott, 19, is keen for game time after a promising start to the season was ruined by an ankle injury in September and a four-month fight back to fitness.

Carsley said: “He was asking: “Can I get on the bench, can I get some minutes!

“That's always been the case with Harvey throughout the pathway, whether it be the 17s, the 19s or ourselves. He's a player who loves playing for England, has played very well for England. He was outstanding at the last camp on and off the pitch.

“If you think about the journey that he's been on this season, he's had so many highs and lows. It would be good for him to finish on a positive note. He deserves that. He's got an excellent attitude, works so hard and is a good guy. Harvey has got a chance of playing. He's trained for the last three days.

“Harvey turned up at camp, tested positive with covid, went back to Liverpool, got over covid and joined straight back up with the squad. It's brilliant having him back. We've spoken about having that connection and wanting players to come and play for England. We've got a care of duty to make sure he's OK to play, which he is. He's fully fit.

“But then we have to make sure we don't put him a position where we're overextending him. He's keen to play, he's keen to get the minutes and we're keen to have him. We're looking forward to Harvey playing and being a big part of what we do."

Carsley's youngsters sealed their place in the finals by beating Czech Republic last week and finish their qualifying campaign against Slovenia on Monday.