Harvey Elliott immediately told to quit Liverpool after England U21s heroics

Harvey Elliott was urged to 'get out and play' by Jermain Defoe after firing England into the U21 European Championship final with a brilliant brace against the Netherlands.

Lee Carsley's men will get the chance to defend their European crown this weekend after beating the Dutch 2-1 courtesy of Elliott's double, the second of which was plundered five minutes from time to spark jubilant scenes in Bratislava.

While Elliott has been the standout player for England at this summer's tournament, he had to settle for a bit-part role in Liverpool's title-winning campaign under Arne Slot.

That has seen the 22-year-old linked with a blockbuster summer move - and Defoe feels it's a no-brainer for the midfield maestro to seek out a club where he will be the main man after a season of sitting on the bench.

Speaking on Channel 4 after Elliott's matchwinning double, Defoe said: “There’ll be a lot of clubs watching this tournament.

“We said it before, he’s too good to not be playing. When you’re producing in big tournaments like this against the best players, the two goals that we saw this evening, he’s a top, top player.

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“For him, he just needs to go out and play, get himself in a team where he’s one of the main players, and just go out and express yourself and show how good you are because this performance tonight, it’s amazing.”

Joe Cole, also analysing the game for Channel 4, was in full agreement with his former England colleague. He said: “I love the lad.

“I think he plays football the right way and I’m really excited for him. Not just for this final, but I’m excited for his future as well, for next year.

“He’s done a great job for Liverpool, and if he decides to move on, I still feel there’s levels. For a player to come to a tournament and do what he’s done, there’s levels for him to go up again, and I’d love to see him playing with that kind of passion and happiness on his face every week.”

Brighton are the latest club to be credited with an interest in the former Fulham youngster, who has already hinted he could leave Anfield this summer.

But Elliott only has eyes for Saturday's Euros final after downing the Netherlands, saying post-match: “I can't put it into words - another final.

“I know I keep saying it, but now we need to rest, recover and go again. It's not over yet. Tonight was another amazing experience in tough conditions. The way the lads dug deep, I think we deserved to reach the final.”

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