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Mohamed Salah said that Aston Villa is "lucky" to have Harvey Elliott after the youngster completed a deadline day transfer to the Midlands club.
Elliott was one of several outgoing players who Liverpool negotiated a significant fee for during the summer window, with the 22-year-old joining Villa on an initial loan deal but with an obligation for the Villans to make the deal permanent for £35 million ($47 million) next summer.
Elliott joined Liverpool in 2019 as a highly rated teenager and looked to be making significant strides under Jurgen Klopp, but the arrival of Arne Slot saw his game time diminish dramatically.
The youngster lined up in just two Premier League games last season, and both of those games came after the title had been wrapped up.
At Liverpool, Elliott was faced with the unenviable task of going up against Salah for a spot in the team, and the Egyptian tipped Elliott to get his career back on track at Villa.
"You’ll be remembered for your loyalty and dedication every time you were called upon," Salah wrote on social media. "You leave as a champion, and I’ve got no doubt you’ll do big things at your new club. They are lucky to have you."
Meanwhile, Elliott said he is looking forward to getting going at Villa after a difficult year on a personal level for the former Fulham player.
“It feels incredible,” he told Villa media. “First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for making this happen. Playing for a massive club like Aston Villa is every kid’s dream. I’m very happy that it’s over the line now, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Elliott added: “For me now, it’s about kicking on as a player.
“The only way to do that is to play games and there’s no better place to do that than here, especially with the manager, his philosophy, the way he plays and his trust in younger players.
"Not only that, his personal achievements as well, I was very drawn to it. I had a conversation with him and was blown away by the way he was towards me and how welcoming he was to me before I was an Aston Villa player. It made me want it a little bit more.
“Coming to Villa Park, you see how passionate the fans are, how well drilled the team is, it’s really hard to play against. Having the opportunity to be part of it, I couldn’t say no. I’m just delighted to be here.”
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