Nathaniel Clyne was an example to follow as the defender completed 90 minutes on his return to action for Liverpool U23s on Sunday.
The right-back made a first appearance at any level since July at St George’s Park, where Neil Critchley’s side claimed a 4-0 win over Stoke City in the Premier League Cup.
Fellow first-teamers Joe Gomez and Dominic Solanke played the full game too, with the latter’s hat-trick inspiring a result that sent the young Reds into the tournament’s knockout stages.
Critchley revealed how Clyne was determined to push beyond the originally planned length of his outing – and, in the process, educated his younger teammates.