He knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park, but Socceroos left-back Brad Smith never expected he'd have a tougher time cracking Bournemouth's first XI than at Liverpool.
Smith transferred to Bournemouth from the Reds in July, full of hope a smaller club would present more opportunities to play regular Premier League football.
Yet three months into the season the 22-year-old still hasn't played a single minute in England's top tier.
While Smith was under no illusions it would be a tall task breaking into a well-established squad, he admitted the lack of game time had already left him pondering his club future.