Harvey Elliott insisted that England Under-21’s have nothing to fear heading into the European Championships final against Germany Under-21’s.
The Young Lions booked their place in Saturday’s showpiece match with a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands Under-21’s, with Elliott scoring both goals for Lee Carsley’s side.
In that game, Elliott became the first England player Opta has on record to have 5+ shots (seven), 10+ touches in the opposition box (10) and win possession 5+ times (six) in a UEFA Under-21 EURO match.
The Liverpool midfielder also took his tally to four goals in the tournament, only trailing Germany’s Nick Woltemade (six) after he scored in his side’s 3-0 win over France Under-21’s in Thursday’s other semi-final.
And ahead of England’s fifth appearance in the tournament’s final, an emotional Elliott is confident that his team’s displays have given them all the confidence they need.
“It’s up there. Every goal I score is a massive moment because I enjoy scoring goals, I enjoy the feeling and buzz, and it gives me confidence,” Elliott said.
“Emotionally and mentally, it’s definitely up there. There’s nothing better than scoring for your country in front of your family in the stands.
“We all deserve to be here, the squad is incredible in terms of the quality, in terms of how we play football as a team and the togetherness we have.
“The moment we have fear within ourselves is the moment it goes wrong.
“I think now, especially after the Spain game [in the quarter-finals], the fear isn’t there any more. We can take on any team.”
Elliott has expressed his desire to seek first-team football next season after starting just two of his 18 appearances in the Premier League as Arne Slot’s team lifted the title.
The 22-year-old has appeared 147 times for the Reds across all competitions, registering 15 goals and 20 assists since his switch from Fulham in 2019.
Elliott has said he does not want to waste his career at Anfield by sitting on the bench, with England boss Carsley revealing he has only seen the attackers’ desire to succeed.
“I’ve not seen a lot of the frustration,” Carsley said. “What I have seen is someone who’s determined to play and to get the minutes. He wants to play every game.
“He’s definitely built into the tournament. Not getting as much game time towards the end of the season, we’ve had to manage his minutes in terms of the amount he’s played and the intensity he plays at, because he’s so explosive with the way he moves and his end product.
“We’re very lucky to have him.”
Only Spain and Italy (both five) have won the tournament more times than England, who are level with Germany on three titles.
Antonio Di Salvo led his team to a sixth U21 European Championship final, in which England and Germany will face off for the third time. No other two nations have faced each other more in the showpiece match of the tournament.
