One of the main storylines of Liverpool’s first pre-season under Arne Slot has been the lack of star names.
With no Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk or Alisson – to name just three – it has felt somewhat like a band doing a world tour without their lead singer.
That has been a problem for the new Dutch head coach as he tries to drill home his ideologies and new style in lieu of many of his main protagonists. But the blessing in disguise is that this has offered the chance of a lifetime for some youngsters and fringe players to thrive.