Luca Stephenson appeared to have the world at his feet when Liverpool paid £500,000 to sign him from Sunderland at the age of 15.
He may not have envisioned playing in the Scottish Premiership by the age of 21 but he is at least showing some of the qualities that would have caught the attention of the Premier League giants.
Stephenson signed on loan for Dundee United at the start of the season and has been one of several additions that have really caught the eye during their climb to fourth.
Indeed, Not the Old Firm included him in our list of best Premiership full-backs so far this season.
Luca Stephenson on Liverpool Jordan Henderson comparison
Stephenson can either play in midfield or at full-back and so far it has almost always been the latter, operating at right wing-back in United’s 3-5-2 formation.
But for the 3-0 win over Ross County on Saturday he was required in the engine room and capped a solid display with a brilliant diving headed goal.
The Reds loanee explained post-match that he was originally a midfielder in the academies of Sunderland and Liverpool.
And his move from the Stadium of Light to Anfield drew inevitable comparisons with Jordan Henderson (The Sun), who had made the same switch before going on to become captain.
“Jordan Henderson; that was the shout back in the day,” a smiling Stephenson told The Courier. “Hopefully, I can still try to live up to that one!
“When I signed for Liverpool, I signed as a midfielder. I played from the ages of 9 to 15 as a central midfielder at Sunderland.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 28 | 31 |
| 2 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 10 | 14 | 31 |
| 3 |  RangersRangers | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 22 |
| 4 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 19 |
| 5 |  MotherwellMotherwell | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 19 |
| 6 |  ST MirrenST Mirren | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 22 | -5 | 15 |
“I was more a holder but, as it gradually went on, I became more of a runner into the box, using my engine to get into dangerous areas.
“Through my scholarship at Liverpool, I played in there, so I know the role well. It is only in the last couple of years that I have moved to full-back.
“So, when the gaffer said on Friday I was playing in there, I thought, let’s roll it back to what I was doing a few years ago. I loved it.”
Stephenson gets third Dundee United goal
The youngster had no senior goals prior to his loan move to Scotland, having failed to find the net while at Barrow last season. He now has three.
On top of that he also has two assists.
Stephenson had plenty of praise for the teammates who have helped him get there.
He added: “I had barely scored a goal before Saturday, let alone a diving header! So, to put that away was really nice. It was a great cross by Will Ferry.
“The two wing-backs were outstanding. Ryan Strain has come in for his first 90 minutes in five months and I thought he was brilliant. Will Ferry was doing what he has been doing week-in, week-out. He has been fantastic and was no different.”