Former Leeds United midfielder David Norris believes Liverpool teenager Harvey Elliott would have caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate prior to picking up a long-term injury in the Premier League this weekend.

What happened to Elliott?

After returning from a successful loan spell at Blackburn Rovers, where he was directly involved in 18 league goals last season, Elliott has settled into Liverpool's side with minimal fuss.

The 18-year-old has featured in all four of the team's league matches this term, and has started the last three fixtures.

However, he was dealt a cruel blow on Sunday, as he suffered a dislocated ankle after a robust challenge from Leeds defender Pascal Struijk. The creative midfielder now looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

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What did Norris say about Elliott?

Norris feels that Elliott's injury came at a bad moment, as he believes that the youngster could have been in line for an international call-up in the near future.

When asked whether Elliott would have been part of Southgate's thinking moving forwards, Norris said: “I think so, yeah. I think any young English player that starts to get game time in the Premier League will be on a radar. And then if they start doing well, especially in the press, they’ll jump straight on it. Even if the player’s not playing that many games, they’ll start talking about international call-ups.

“His name will definitely have been mentioned. We’ve seen it happen quickly with Kalvin Phillips. It didn’t take long, after a good start to the season, a good few games, then people were mentioning it and they were talking about moves away, and then next thing he’s playing internationals. It can happen quite quickly, so I think he definitely would have been on the radar.”

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Could Elliott still make England's squad for next year's World Cup?

The World Cup in Qatar is just 14 months away, meaning that time is against Elliott as he starts his road to recovery.

Furthermore, England are coming off the back of making the Euro 2020 final, and Southgate seems to have assembled a settled squad in recent times.

Elliott will have his work cut out, as he looks set to miss the majority of this season, and must then try to leapfrog the likes of Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jesse Lingard in the queue for the No. 10 position in Southgate's midfield.

Still, Southgate has shown in the past that he is willing to fast-track promising youngsters, and if Elliott can return to action this season and finish the campaign strongly, before making a flying start next year, he could force his way into England's squad at the back end of 2022.