Liverpool youngster Ovie Ejaria's excellent pre-season has been cut short with a groin injury set to leave him sidelined for the remainder of their friendlies.
The teenage midfielder had made a fine impression across his senior appearances for Jürgen Klopp's side, but has sustained an injury that has ruled him out of contention for their final game on tour of the United States against AS Roma.
Although no definitive ruling has been given on how long Ejaria could spend out of action, it's likely he will need at least a few weeks to recover - leaving him unavailable for their final friendlies against Barcelona and Mainz this forthcoming weekend.
The 18-year-old was one of the stand-out performers in their International Champions Cup clash with Chelsea, but picked up a knock in the 1-0 defeat.
That left him out of a 2-0 win over AC Milan - also as part of the ICC - as well as keeping him of their trip to St. Louis to take on Serie A side Roma.
Ejaria likely to be a key player for Reds' reserves
It comes just days after Ejaria - who signed for the club after a nine-year spell with boyhood club Arsenal in 2014 - was touted for an international call-up for Nigeria before even making a first-team appearance at Anfield.
It is expected Ejaria will be offered the opportunity to join the squad to face Tanzania in an African Cup of Nations qualifier in September, alongside Arsenal's Chuba Akpom, provided the pair commit their futures to the Super Eagles despite being born in London.
Given the impression he left after pre-season, a first appearance for Klopp's senior squad could realistically follow in the 2016-17 season, with the domestic cups a potential opportunity for Ejaria to make his debut.
But he's expected to spend much of his time with Michael Beale's U23s for their Premier League 2 campaign, with fellow Academy starlets Shamal George and Trent Alexander-Arnold - who have both joined him in the US - also set for key roles.
Ejaria, who performed well for the Under-21s last term, joins a growing list of Liverpool absentees with Loris Karius (broken hand), Mamadou Sakho (achilles), Joe Gomez (achilles), Joel Matip (foot), Lucas Leiva (hamstring) and Marko Grujic (concussion) all still out.