Liverpool’s squad management is back under the spotlight after fresh information emerged around one of our unused loan players.According to Fabrizio Romano on X, Charlotte FC are prepared to offer Harvey Elliott the chance to play on loan in MLS until June.The update comes with the key caveat that the decision is up to the player, with the expectation that the England youth international would return to us afterwards.That context matters because the former Fulham youngster has effectively been frozen out during his loan spell at Aston Villa.Despite being fit and available, the 22-year-old has been unused, leaving us with an awkward mid-season scenario.Elliott loan situation leaves Liverpool with limited options(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)From a regulatory perspective, this situation is more complicated than it first appears.Elliott has already represented two clubs this season, meaning we cannot simply recall him and send him elsewhere within the Premier League or Europe.However, a league operating on a calendar-year basis, such as MLS, remains permissible under FIFA rules.That is why this Charlotte FC option has suddenly become relevant.It also explains why questions are being asked about why we would not simply keep the midfielder as an extra body in our squad.Jamie Carragher recently touched on that exact point when discussing Liverpool’s January plans, saying, “I think you bring Harvey Elliott back as well because Liverpool’s squad isn’t great.”That comment came as part of a wider conversation about squad balance and numbers, rather than Elliott’s individual form.Arne Slot, by contrast, has shown little enthusiasm for reopening the discussion.Ahead of Wolves, our boss shut the door firmly, saying, “No, Harvey is an Aston Villa player,” while adding that Villa are “doing really well.”Elliott Liverpool numbers show what we are missing(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)What makes this situation harder to ignore is Elliott’s underlying output when he actually plays for us.As reported by Michael Reid of Opta on X, Elliott ranks among Liverpool’s most productive creators from open play since 2015–16.PlayerChances created/90Florian Wirtz2.65Mohamed Salah1.79Harvey Elliott1.78Xherdan Shaqiri1.76Roberto Firmino1.76Luis Diaz1.7Those numbers underline why this feels like more than a fringe issue.With our campaign finely balanced across competitions, every decision around depth carries weight.For now, Elliott’s future rests with the player, but it remains a Liverpool problem waiting for resolution.Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobileThe post “Decision up to the player” – Liverpool future discussed publicly appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.