Report: Liverpool midfielder has been doing special training drills to work on his defending with Pep Ljinders

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Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has been doing special training drills to work in his defending with assistant manager Pepijn Ljinders, according to the Athletic. 

Elliott put in arguably his most accomplished display in a Liverpool shirt on Sunday off the right-hand side.

The 19-year-old worked extremely hard to help James Milner deal with the threat of Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.

It’s been a real breakthrough season for the Liverpool youngster so far as he’s impressed with his displays in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield. But he has seemingly been working extremely hard on the defensive side of his game.

It certainly paid off as Liverpool beat City 1-0 on Sunday, with Elliott and Diogo Jota playing crucial roles on both flanks. And it seems that Klopp’s assistant has played his part behind the scenes.

Elliott doing special training drills with Ljinders

The Athletic reports that Ljinders has been putting Elliott through special training drills to improve his defending. 

The Dutch assistant has been working hard behind the scenes to help the Liverpool youngster defensively. Elliott has been watching video analysis with the Klopp’s right-hand man at Kirkby. 

The Athletic also notes that Elliott’s dad has been giving him feedback on his defending. The youngster apparently got an earful from his father after he let Ben White get away from him against Arsenal last weekend.

Elliott has certainly impressed with his abilities on the ball this season but there have been times where his defensive application could be called into question.

But it’s clear that the work Ljinders and Elliott are doing behind the scenes is paying off. The youngster put in a disciplined performance on Sunday on the right-hand side with Milner.

Klopp has shown he has a lot of faith in the former Fulham youngster this season, playing him in some of Liverpool’s biggest games. The German boss will be hoping the work Ljinders is doing will continue to pay dividends after a much-improved defensive display over the weekend.