Liverpool star Harvey Elliott appears to hide England flag as he debuts new Nike kit
Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has made the headlines after photos emerged of him deliberately hiding the England flag as he debuted the new kit. The youngster was the star of the show for the England U-21 side as they trounced Azerbaijan U-21 by a 5-1 scoreline.
Much of the past week was about national kit designers unveiling a new set of kits to be used by teams at the summer's European Championships and Copa America. Nike were also part of this, as they revealed the England kit, albeit with a slight tweak to the collar.
The sportswear giants made a change to the color of the England flag, replacing the red St. George's cross with navy, light blue and purple colors. The kit was launched by the England U-21s, who were the first side to hold a match following the launching of the new kit.
Harvey Elliott had his collar raised throughout the game, obscuring the view of the 'playful' design of the flag on the back of his collar. The Liverpool man had an impressive game for the Young Lions, scoring twice in the hammering of Azerbaijan away from home.
Elliott is one of the senior players in Lee Carsley's England U-21 side, having featured prominently as they won the Euros last summer. The 20-year-old has also earned a regular place at Liverpool in recent seasons and is a regular for Jürgen Klopp's side.
Harvey Elliott has featured 41 times for the Reds this season, with three goals and eight assists to his name. His gesture in the Azerbaijan game was lauded by many, including former international Joey Barton, after Nike's redesign was not well-received.
Liverpool star Harvey Elliott shines as England U-21s cruise in Baku
Lee Carsley has a tough task on his hands to get England's U-21s performing at the same levels as the last group, who he led to Euros glory. The group has lost a number of players, including Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill to the senior side.
Being one of the remaining who won the trophy, Harvey Elliott has been key in their campaign to qualify for the next edition. The Liverpool man scored twice in his side's 5-1 win over Azerbaijan, with Chelsea's Noni Madueke, Jaden Philogene and Archie Gray also getting on the scoresheet.
England U-21s remain in second place in their group, level on points with Ukraine who have played a game less. Elliott's performance at club level means he may be on the verge of breaking into the senior England team, but he continues to dazzle for the U-21s.