Florian Wirtz has found himself under a harsh spotlight during a difficult first half-season at Liverpool.
Wirtz was signed for a British record £116.5million – an amount swiftly surpassed when the Reds finally snared Alexander Isak from Newcastle United – and hopes were high for the attacking playmaker who inspired Bayer Leverkusen's remarkable 2023/24 domestic clean sweep in German football.
Having to wait until his 23rd appearance for a first Liverpool goal was certainly not part of the script for the 22-year-old Germany international, but Wirtz's struggles have also occurred within Liverpool's collective malfunctioning as Arne Slot has seen his team's Premier League title defence go up in smoke.
A wonderfully taken strike against Wolves on December 27 gave the latest demonstration of Wirtz's sublime talent, the flashes of which have started to linger a little longer during Liverpool's ongoing eight-match unbeaten run.
The most recent game in this sequence was the torpid 0-0 draw against Leeds United at Anfield on Boxing Day, where a largely ineffective Wirtz was substituted with an hour played.
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Jeremie Frimpong made the same move from Leverkusen to Liverpool last summer and is convinced his firm friend has the capacity to light up the second half of the campaign.
"I know how good of a player Flo is. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have won the treble with Leverkusen. To see him doing it now, this is just the start. There's a special player coming through," Frimpong said.
"Flo's the type of player where he doesn't care about these things – the price tag, this and that – he's just happy to play football.
"I think Flo takes pressure really well. He's just a guy who loves the ball at his feet. When he plays, he's just enjoying. I don't think he cares about the other stuff.
"Of course, on the outside [it's different], but he doesn't care about all of that. He just wants to play."
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Injury has decimated Frimpong's start to life at Anfield, with a hamstring problem suffered on his Premier League debut against Bournemouth later compounded and leading to a more lengthy lay-off.
Like Wirtz, back-to-back starts against Wolves and Leeds belatedly have the Netherlands international heading in the right direction.
"Me and Flo are really good boys, that's my boy. When I heard he was coming, it put a smile on my face. We basically started our Leverkusen careers together and we're starting our Liverpool careers together as well.
"We talk and sometimes we'll link up and go to town, to a restaurant. Do normal things."
On his own fledgling Liverpool career, Frimpong continued: "Obviously, injury has really played a big part because I was injured for the first month, came back and then it was three months.
"I could say it's been a rocky start for me, but now I'm healthy, I feel good and I'm happy now, helping the team.
"Personally, it was really tough for me. It's part of the game. Injuries happen. I guess it was my turn."
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What is Jeremie Frimpong's best position?
Frimpong is likely to enjoy some more action when Liverpool travel to Fulham on Sunday. He excelled as a wing-back in Xabi Alonso's 3-4-3 at Leverkusen but arrived at Anfield ostensibly to replace the Real Madrid-bound Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.
The 25-year-old's suitability to that role has been the source of much consternation and his appearances against Wolves and Leeds have come on the right wing as part of the front three, primarily on account of Mohamed Salah's absence at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Much like talk around Wirtz's price tag, Frimpong doesn't pay much mind to the debate around him.
"I play the same whether I'm at right-back or right-wing," he added. "I just use my ability and my speed. It doesn't matter to me."