Harvey Elliott says Liverpool have hit the ground running at their Dubai training camp as the Reds look to kick-start their Premier League campaign once the World Cup has come to a close.
And the 19-year-old has also revealed the positive impact that Kostas Tsimikas has had on him, after spending time away with the Greek defender on holiday during the unusual mid-season break from club football.
Jurgen Klopp has taken a 33-man squad to the Middle East, minus the players who have been involved in the World Cup in Qatar. Aside from training, Liverpool will also participate in the Dubai Super Cup with games against Lyon and AC Milan. Elliott recognises that the first three months of the current campaign have not gone as well as the squad would have liked, but they are already laying the seeds for improvement with what is effectively a second pre-season in Dubai.
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Speaking to the club's official website, he said: "It's been a tough start to the season, a lot of lads have played a lot of minutes and a lot of games. It's just getting that balance between having enough rest but making sure that you're still in form and on top of your game and still in the best shape possible. Since we've started training, the lads have been flying and feel like we've got that perfect balance, which is always good.
"Obviously it's always hard once you come off a little break to get back into the swing of things. The lads have been doing stuff over the holidays and getting themselves in the best shape and best form possible to be able to come into training and resume and just kick on with the rest of the season. We're really looking forward to it. There's no better place to do it than here – hot-weather training and hopefully it'll be a lot easier when we get back to England. "
While team-mates like Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk have been representing their countries in Qatar, Elliott was able to take in a holiday in the Maldives with team-mate Tsimikas. And the England Under-21 international was only too happy to share the benefits of spending time with the former Olympiacos full-back.
Elliott said: "He's an unbelievable guy, one of my favourites in the world, to be honest. He's a lovely guy and got a lovely family around him. So to be able to spend time with him, go for food and have a nice holiday with him, it's great company to say the least. If anyone has the experience, you know exactly what I mean! He's just a bubbly guy to be around, always picks you up, which is the most important thing. If you're feeling down or you're not feeling it in the morning, he's there and he's always energetic. What a guy and what a player to be around.
"It's always nice to see the boys. We've created that family in the team and we're always there for one another. A few of the lads were out here earlier and we saw each other, had dinner, stuff like that. It's always nice to have that bond, which is always important going into football matches and training."
Liverpool's first game in Dubai is against French side Lyon at the Al-Maktoum Stadium on Sunday (December 11).
Elliott has made 22 appearances for the Reds so far this season in all competitions, scoring three goals.
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