Harvey Elliott reinforces transfer credentials after firing England into Euro U21 final

Harvey Elliott's late brace ensured England U21s booked their place in a consecutive Euros final, overcoming the Netherlands in a tightly contested semi-final. The Liverpool forward netted twice in the second half, with his decisive goal coming just five minutes from time on Wednesday evening amidst the intense heat of Bratislava.

The Young Lions, looking to defend their crown after 2023's triumph, initially went ahead thanks to Elliott's strike, following an assist from Tino Livramento. Nonetheless, the Netherlands levelled the score when substitute Noah Ohio stunned England's goalkeeper James Beadle with a long-range effort almost immediately after coming on.

Wearing the captain's armband, Elliott stepped up to become England's hero again. Darting past multiple defenders, he unleashed a shot from the edge of the box that nestled into the bottom corner to seal the victory.

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Lee Carsley's squad now gears up for Saturday's final in Slovakia's capital, facing off against either Germany or France, who are set to clash in tonight's other semi-final.

"I know I keep saying it, but we need to rest, recover and go again. It is not over yet. Tonight was another amazing experience. I think we deserve this final. It is about recovering, resting and going again," reports the Express.

Elliott opened up about his injury scare, saying: "My knee is bloody hurting. I don't know what I have done to it. Hopefully it is nothing too serious. Silly decision from me, but one of them. Live in the moment, you do these things."

He also commented on the pitch conditions and team challenges: "The pitch was ridiculously dry, but that's the price I have got to pay. It has been really tough preparation-wise. As I said before, we had many players who had to drop out, Club World Cup and transfers. We want to do it for everyone who can't be here. It is one last push."

Former Fulham youngster Elliott faces an uncertain future at Liverpool and could be the subject of a transfer elsewhere this summer. But with performances like the one he produced on Wednesday evening he is unlikely to be short of potential suitors.

Young Lions manager Carsley, who previously took charge of the senior side for six games, winning five, shared his approach for the upcoming final: "I thought the team were outstanding. The way we started the game was really exciting and were a little disappointed not to score. The second half, we played with real resilience and we got over the line. We had to defend the box, and James made some good saves."

Carsley praised his squad's key players and their strategy in the heat: "Harvey and Charlie [Cresswell] did not play a lot of minutes in the last campaign but we knew how important they would be. They have taken on the responsibility to drive the rest of the squad. I thought [James] McAtee was excellent, Jay Stansfield too. Our plan in this heat was to keep the ball, and we did that.

"It's just a shame that we have only got one game left because I think this team are outstanding. I'll be watching our game back before I watch France vs Germany. I don't want to focus too much on the opposition."

Keeper James Beadle expressed his delight: "Unbelievable. Once you go 1-0 to 1-1 it is a tough blow. Then we got a brilliant goal from Harvey. I think we can beat anyone, we believe in our abilities and we are going there to win."