You did not need to be a qualified body-language expert to work out where the Trent Alexander-Arnold saga was heading and one episode, set in the bowels of Anfield on a November evening, gave the game away somewhat.
It was nothing Alexander-Arnold did, but more the facial expressions of his good pal and soon-to-be club team-mate Jude Bellingham.
The England superstar was talking in the media room to preview Real Madrid’s visit to Liverpool – the Premier League champions recorded an emphatic 2-0 win – and Bellingham was asked for his thoughts on Alexander-Arnold’s future.