Emre Can was one of just a few shining lights at Anfield last season as the German was swapped from a central defensive role to a midfield role in a season to forget.
The versatility of the 22-year-old was a major positive as he provided key reinforcement in a weak area, but the player is currently struggling for form and is risking his starting place at Liverpool.
With the world at his feet at such a young age, Can will be given many opporunities throughout his time in English football but since Jürgen Klopp has arrived, the midfielder has lacked a certain presence that made him so popular last season.
As other players are hitting headlines and performing consistently, should the youngster be dropped or are his performances just going unnoticed?
Background
Emre Can was a Bayern Munich trainee and was used by their second team regularly before managing to vaguely break into the first-team, making four appearances and scoring one goal in his time with the German giants.
Sensing a lack of opportunity at the Allianz Arena he moved to Bayer Leverkusen 04 in 2013 and had an immediate impact in his debut season, featuring more than 30 times for the club and notching up four assists and four goals.
Major clubs were interested in signing the defensive midfielder but the German chose Liverpool and signed for £10 million in 2014. In his opening season at Anfield, he was used mainly as a centre-back where his ball playing ability was a hugely popular focus under Brendan Rodgers as fans began to rally behind the powerful player.
Under new management in his second season with the arrival of Klopp, Can scored the opening goal of the former Bundesliga winner's tenure in a Europa League match against Rubin Kazan and he has since asserted himself in the centre of midfield.
Current form
Despite being one of the regular names on the teamsheet, the midfielder is struggling to show his true talents under Klopp and his ability has been mainly reduced to glimpses.
With no Premier League goals to his name this season and no assists also, why hasn't the German been able to perform at the level he is surely capable of reaching?
The answer lies in defensive duties and the simplistic play that Klopp is looking to instill within his players. Can is currently one of the highest rated defensive midfielders at the club and his defensive qualities, as well as passing skills, are often overlooked in this era of goals galore.
For example, a 0-0 result that features 25 chances and 20 last ditch tackles would still be a second thought on Match of The Day compared to a 3-2 contest purely because of the attacking spotlight.
Can should never be worried about his place at Anfield as his game is one of the most important in the XI. Without the shadow-like ability covering the back four more often than not Liverpool could be leaking in more goals.
Player Comparisons
With 22 league apperances under his belt this season it is important to look at how the 22-year-old compares to other players in his position and how he matches up to them.
Comparing the player to other top players in his role both at his club and rival teams draws interesting readings that essentially highlight the unexplored abilities of the midfielder.
Emre Can vs N'Golo Kante: Two young stars with very bright futures, but who comes out on top? Kante has won more tackles than his German counterpart but Can has won a fair portion more when the win percentage is included, at 84.9% the Liverpool man overawes Leicester City's star midfielder as he sits with just 72% missing 26 tackles. Can is typically used further forward than the Frenchman and his levels of passing show this as the 22-year-old has notched up nearly 400 more passes in less games showing his distribution strengths in a startling stat.
Emre Can - Adam Lallana: Besides every day in training, teammates are not typically squaring off together, however it is important to use the Englishman as a fair comparison of how the former Bayern man is up there with the best players at his club. Although playing in three less games, Lallana is slacking behind the youngster as he has over 600 more passes than the former Southamton captain and has a slightly better passing accuracy rate. While the 27-year-old takes the attacking part of the analysis with ease his chances created is a cause for concern as Can has created more than the attacking midfielder despite often being billed as one of England's most creative players.
Emre Can - Marouane Fellaini: Despite being used as makeshift centre forward from time-to-time, the tall Beligian is still classed as a midfielder. With that being said, his statistics despite playing nine games less present the dominating player as a weak one at best. With defensive duties, Can has recorded over 35 more tackles, over 25 more clearances, and over 30 more interceptions to wipe the floor with the big man. In the attacking portion however, Can has played nearly 1,000 passes more and created 19 chances to put the Manchester United man to shame.
If Emre Can was able add goals and assists to his already effective game then he might just be on course to becoming one of the most successful players in the world, with manager Klopp a huge admirer he has everything going for him and is expected to be a mainstay in the Reds XI for years to come. And so he should be.