Liverpool were not the only Premier League powerhouse intent on signing Ki-Jana Hoever when his junior deal at Ajax expired.
According to Goal.com, the two Manchester sides and Chelsea also competed for his signature before he opted for the move to Merseyside.
In the wake of his impromptu debut in January 2019, it was clear why he was courted so extensively.
Dejan Lovren had been forced off in the opening exchanges of a third-round FA Cup tie against Wolves, and so the 16-year-old, initially unsure if he'd be rewarded with a spot on the bench, was called upon.
One or two forgivably careless moments aside, the Dutchman glided through his debut. His ball progression, whether through ambitious runs or precise passes, was eye-catching and assured.
Liverpool were eventually beaten, but Hoever's career-launching display was one of the leading positives in defeat.
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After healthy involvement in Liverpool's pre-season tour of the United States, Hoever was awarded a long-term contract on the eve of the new campaign.
"You forget so quickly that these boys are so young," Jurgen Klopp remarked. "He's still 17, it's just crazy.
"But everything will be fine, he's a fantastic footballer and I'm really happy that we have him for longer."
The club have since begun to very gradually ease Hoever into the first-team picture.
He was given his first start in September as Liverpool opened their League Cup campaign at MK Dons and would mark his full debut with a clean sheet and a goal, arriving at the back post to plant in a header 20 minutes from time.
Hoever, now Liverpool's fourth youngest-ever scorer, did not feature against Arsenal in the next round but was back in the picture for the quarterfinal trip to Aston Villa after the first team jetted to Qatar for the Club World Cup.
The experiential mismatch was rather cruelly reflected on the scoreboard as Villa swept to a five-goal victory, but for the most part Hoever and his predominantly teenage team-mates had conducted themselves well and he was spared any criticism.
Senior absences opened the door once again in February when Liverpool faced Shrewsbury in an FA Cup replay which was lodged in the supposed winter break.
Hoever, partnered with his raw compatriot Sepp van den Berg, impressed on a memorable night at Anfield, the effective Under-23s running out 1-0 winners against League One opposition.
What, then, about his more regular displays at youth level?
In Premier League 2, Hoever started seven matches out of a possible 17, twice deployed at right-back but played more often in central defence.
With Hoever in action, the Reds mixed two wins with three draws and two defeats, conceding 17 goals.
In the UEFA Youth League, meanwhile, he was ever-present, and Liverpool eased through the group phase with 10 points from a possible 12 before a resounding Round of 16 reverse at Benfica when Hoever was shifted to the right side of the back four.
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Mixed fortunes at Under-23 level will cause little concern for the club's coaches, just as Hoever will not be anxious at his ongoing wait for the Premier League debut handed to other breakthrough talents.
Staff will see no need to rush his integration into matchday squads, confident as they are that he will naturally grow into starting material. Indeed, Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones noted a belief at Melwood they have a 'gem' on their hands.
The club don't yet see Hoever as a ready-made replacement for Dejan Lovren, who has left to join Zenit St Petersburg, but it is possible that a new recruit will serve only as a stop-gap while Hoever and Van den Berg acclimatise to the men's game.
Hoever, for his part, prefers the right-back role, where he has actually played more often over the course of his fledgling career.
"I'm not physically ready to play centre-back for a whole season," he tellingly admits, adding that, "as a right back, I like the attacking aspect. I have a vision in my game like Trent [Alexander-Arnold], where I can put people away."
But with 21-year-old Alexander-Arnold now backed-up by 19-year-old Neco Williams, the door to that position would appear shut for the span of Hoever's time at Anfield.
And so the Dutchman may, in the interests of game-time, have to suspend his preferences and log the hours in the gym required to establish himself as an imposing centre-half.
On the training field, he has football's most enviable mentor in Virgil van Dijk.
"I'm blessed... Virgil is the best defender in the world today," he enthuses. "He speaks Dutch to me in training and I can understand things even better."
If there is a third way, it could be that Hoever, guilty on or two of occasions of dribbling out of defence a little too enthusiastically, moves further up the pitch.
Jones reports that the club have considered the possibility that he will develop into a holding midfield player.
Perhaps still too young for a productive loan move, Hoever is probably in for a single-figure appearance tally again in 2020/21, and yet it could be a defining year in his career.
He will have to decide what kind of player he wishes to be and hone his game as such.
Much of this process will take place away from supporters' scrutiny, but when they do occasionally read Hoever's name on the team sheet, they will keenly look forward to a fresh glimpse.
And that is because he, like almost all the young players bound for stardom, carries himself with a richly entertaining confidence.