If everything had gone as originally planned, Nathaniel Phillips wouldn't even have been at Anfield this season, let alone starting a Premier League game against West Ham.
It was assumed the defender would likely have been plying his trade in the Championship in 2020-21, or back in Germany, where he spent a successful loan spell with Stuttgart last campaign.
But the lack of a willing suitor, coupled with a Reds defensive crisis, means the 23-year-old has instead been thrust straight into the deep end of a top-flight title defence.
On the evidence of his performance in Saturday's 2-1 win against West Ham, he looks far more likely to swim than sink.