It wasn't so long ago that Rhian Brewster was sparking huge excitement as one of the standout players in the early stages of Liverpool's pre-season preparations, giving cause for genuine optimism that he would be a prominent feature in Jürgen Klopp's first-team plans for the new campaign.
Several months down the line, though, and rather than exploding onto the scene as many hoped he might, Brewster has faded back into the periphery for the timebeing, featuring just once for the senior side in the 0-2 League Cup win against MK Dons, in which he was arguably outshone by Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones (despite not playing poorly).
Other than that solitary start, the 19-year-old has only been included in the matchday squad on two other occasions, both times against his former club, Chelsea, in the UEFA Super Cup and in the Premier League.
Last week, Brewster spoke about his lack of first-team opportunities so far, saying: "You've just got to be patient and wait for your turn. Obviously the boss has a plan for me and he knows what he's doing."
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That may well be the case, but right now it's fair to say Brewster hasn't been anywhere near as integral to Klopp's plans at this stage as fans might have expected, particularly given Liverpool's decision not to add any new attacking signings over the summer transfer window and also to keep Brewster at the club rather than send him out on loan.
Even for Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford on Sunday with Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri both unavailable through injury, there still wasn't a space for Brewster on the bench, with Klopp turning to three different midfielders in Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana as Liverpool searched desperately for a goal late on, which the latter duly supplied.
For Brewster not to even be in contention given two of Klopp's attacking options were missing shows he is, in reality, much further down the pecking order than might have been anticipated.
However, after scoring twice for the U23 side against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday – with manager Neil Critchley describing Brewster's performance as "his best of the season" – he was left out of the U19s' UEFA Youth League clash with Genk today, suggesting he could be in with a chance of making an appearance in the senior squad later.
If not tonight, then the upcoming League Cup tie with Arsenal at Anfield is another prime opportunity for Brewster to test himself against higher calibre opposition, even if Unai Emery also fields a heavily rotated and youthful side, while the Champions League return leg against Genk at Anfield could also open up a chance for Brewster to at least be involved in the squad.
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And although he hasn't been able to make the breakthrough into becoming a regular part of the first-team matchday squad just yet, it should not be forgotten that Brewster only returned from a 15-month injury lay-off in late March, and is still working his way back to full sharpness and prime physical condition.
Just as it took time for Joe Gomez to bring himself fully up to speed after his own injury troubles – a process Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still going through right now – this is also likely a key factor in why Brewster has had to bid his time so far this season.
Learning from playing alongside some of the best players in the world on a regular basis at Melwood can only enhance his development, but there comes a point when playing competitive senior football becomes a necessity in terms of making the next step.
He will be desperate to make his mark at some stage soon, and whether it be either of the Genk ties, the domestic cups or a regular cameo role late on in Premier League games if Liverpool are winning comfortably, Brewster will surely want to see concrete evidence that his pathway to regular first-team action still exists, and to seize the chance when it does arrive.