An exciting new player has joined Andoni Iraola's first-team, he could be the next Trent Alexander-Arnold.
That Alexander-Arnold announcement video was soul-crushing. The awkward sit-down, the sigh, the sad expression. It was all incredibly disappointing.
For over a year, it felt like Trent had been stringing Liverpool fans along. He celebrated silencing his critics and made comments that gave supporters hope, seemingly all while knowing his future lay elsewhere.
The Scouser who could have become this generation’s Steven Gerrard instead risked becoming another Michael Owen.
His decision to leave damaged his relationship with the fans and tarnished the legacy he could have built at Anfield. Trent had everything needed to become a Liverpool legend. Instead, he chose a different path, one that has so far failed to deliver the success he might have expected.
Liverpool's homegrown issues and how it all started
Alexander-Arnold’s departure also seemed to set a precedent for other academy players. In the year or so since he left, several others have followed him out of the door.
Tyler Morton moved on, Jarell Quansah left, and Curtis Jones also departed.
Like Trent, these were players who had been at Liverpool from a young age, worked their way through the academy and eventually established themselves in the first team. Yet, they all ended up leaving Anfield.
That sparked concerns over Liverpool’s identity, with the possibility of the Reds heading into the new season without a Scouser or a genuine academy graduate in their senior squad.
It’s been a talking point ever since, but Liverpool might just be on the verge of finding their next Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool's new Alexander-Arnold joins Andoni Iraola's first-team
The Reds' new Spanish coach seems a lot more open to involving the academy players from the squad. This has already allowed for opportunities for the likes of Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas, James McConnell and Luke Chambers.
All of these players came from Liverpool's academy but none of them are technically scousers.
Since Jones left the club, Liverpool have been in search of a new scouser in the team. Well, the Reds might not have to wait much longer.
Jayden Danns joined Iraola's first-team in training ahead of Liverpool's trip to Villareal. It's another big call-up for the exciting forward.
It's not the first-team he's joined the first-team but the fact that he is with the first-team again is a good sign. If he just overcomes his injury problems, he could very well be the Reds' new Alexander-Arnold in the sense that he will be the scouser and the fan favourite in the team.