"I don’t care how old I am, I want to play as a centre-back in the Premier League – that’s my aim," beamed a confident Joe Gomez aged just 18.
The teenager had just moved to from Charlton Athletic to Liverpool when he confidently stated his intention to become a long-term central defender at Anfield in 2015.
Three years on from that £3.5million move from London, Gomez is now well placed to make his wish come true.
Gomez was initially deployed a left-back by Brendan Rodgers upon his transfer to Anfield in the summer of 2015.
The versatile teenager was carving out a spot in the side before he was cruelly halted by a serious, long-term knee injury during an England Under-21 victory over Kazakhstan in October 2015.
Some 15 months later he made his return to Liverpool's team in a low-key, goalless draw against Plymouth in the FA Cup and he has since gone about largely filling in when called upon in a variety of roles.
Another casualty of long-term injury was Nathaniel Clyne who was sidelined with a back problem for much of last season, and while it was unfortunate for the former Southampton right-back, it opened up a spot in Klopp's side.
Gomez shared right-back duties with Trent Alexander-Arnold for much of last season, making 23 Premier League appearances in total.
