There is no harder place for a Liverpool player to make his full Premier League debut for the club. But that's exactly what Trent Alexander-Arnold did in 2017 when, aged just 18, he was picked at right-back to face Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Nathaniel Clyne had been Jurgen Klopp's first choice in the right-back position that year but with the former Crystal Palace player injured, Alexander-Arnold was thrust into the spotlight having played just a League Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur less than three months earlier, as well as a late substitute appearance against Middlesbrough in a comfortable 3-0 win.
Talk about being thrown into the deep end. But he showed himself far from a weak link in a [Liverpool](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/liverpool-fc) side still improving under their German manager. Jose Mourinho could not exploit his age or inexperience. He defied the odds, and he was been proving people wrong ever since.
There were nerves, but Alexander-Arnold stood tall as Liverpool defended a 27th minute lead courtesy of a James Milner penalty and while Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck late to give United a share of the spoils, it was a solid start as far as Alexander-Arnold was concerned.
Who'd have predicted what followed? Even those who clearly rated him so highly at the Academy - Pep Lijnders was a huge admirer and pushed Klopp to bring him into the first team - may have struggled to foresee the success he'd go on to have.
A total of 344 more appearances have been made since that day, with 22 goals and an incredible 86 assists to the Scouser's name in all competitions for the Reds.
Indeed, Trent Alexander-Arnold has redefined what it is to be a right-back for Liverpool and while there will always be a tiresome debate about his defensive abilities, he can let his medal collection speak for itself.
One Champions League, one Club World Cup, two League Cups, an FA Cup and perhaps soon-to-be two Premier League winners' medals isn't the haul of a player who cannot defend. Far from it.
On the contrary, Alexander-Arnold's track record is one that underlines how he has changed the way we talk about full-backs. And it's also the [clear reason why Real Madrid want him.](https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/trent-alexander-arnold-future-latest-31276299)
Alexander-Arnold's style and ability suits a club that makes world superstars of their players, and while the debate about his defending may just change language, the truth is he will be closer to winning more individual honours at Real Madrid than he would do on Merseyside.
Yet he will have to accept that leaving on a free transfer will always taint his legacy in the eyes of some supporters. That shouldn't diminish what he achieved at Anfield nor should it take away from just how good a player he really is. He will be almost impossible to replace and Liverpool may be more likely to undergo a tactical restructuring to allow Conor Bradley - an excellent but very different style of player - to truly shine.
But the lack of any fee to help them on their way to replacing him will hurt. Indeed, Real Madrid's transfer approach of going after free agents might be frustrating for their victims, but it's clearly effective. And in truth, would there really be a way for him to leave Liverpool that would be palatable to all supporters?
If the club had gotten a transfer fee for his services, that would have likely involved him having to push to leave the club and burn far more bridges than he is doing so now.
And realistically, what could he have said publicly that would have satisfied supporters in the short-term? If it was his intention to leave, he'd have never been able to give an answer to a contract question that would have contented supporters.
His only option was, and is, to stay quiet until all is agreed. Yes, supporters probably could have done without the odd cryptic social media post or goal celebration, but Alexander-Arnold was very much in damned if he does or damned if he doesn't territory when it came to speaking publicly.
But if and when a deal is agreed, then that is the time for that silence to end. Whether it be a sit down interview, statement or open letter, the 26-year-old should explain his thoughts and be up front about his decision. It's a truth he will simply have to confront and it would be respectful to those who have supported him throughout the years.
Some will never accept it. Some may never forgive him. But many others will be keen to see him given the reception he truly deserves before the end of the season. There is, after all, a league title to be won, and Alexander-Arnold has been as much a part of that as anybody.
And if the final images of him in a Liverpool shirt or those of him holding that Premier League trophy aloft, then it will only underline how brilliant he has been for the club. No move can change that.