Harvey Elliott has revealed that his loan spell with Blackburn has made him improve the defensive side of his game, as he targeted a place in the Liverpool XI next season.

The talented winger joined Rovers back in October and he has made his mark in the Championship, scoring five goals and registering ten assists.

Whilst Elliott was always highly-rated, to make such an impact as an 18-year-old has been outstanding.

And, speaking to CBS Sports, the former Fulham man has offered an insight into how much he has learnt during his time in the competitive second tier under the guidance of Tony Mowbray, as he also opened up on his ambitions for next season.

"I think now, especially when I'm playing for Blackburn, you realize how important the defensive side of work is. Single handedly you can sort of mess up for the whole team; if you're not doing your job, someone else has to come out and cover for you, then they're leaving their man and it just dismantles the whole thing.

"I'm going to go into preseason thinking that I can get into this team. And whatever way my chance comes, it's just about making sure I take it."

Elliott still has six games to go with Blackburn, and he will hope to help the team address their poor recent form when they take on Cardiff City this weekend.

The verdict

This was a very interesting interview from Elliott, and it was great to hear from a young player on how they get to grips with different tactical systems and working off the ball.

From his comments, you can see that playing week in, week out for Blackburn has been fantastic for his development, whilst his contributions show he has been fantastic for Blackburn, as he is a such an exciting young player.

So, this is a loan deal that has worked for both, and you can't knock his belief as he states he wants to play his part for Liverpool next season.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.