With Liverpool starting the season strongly, all is good at Anfield once again after a 2022/23 season littered with struggling and misfortune.
The Reds have charged into form since the summer, winning six matches on the trot across all competitions after starting proceedings with a draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.
No doubt, there is more work to be done, but the club looks so much stronger, more organised, and more intense than it did last season, where months of poor form threw Jurgen Klopp's side into insignificance.
A late burst of form did result in Liverpool's resurgence, though it was too little too late as the efforts of Manchester United and Newcastle United proved too strong for the fraught Merseyside club, who could only finish fifth and ceded their spot in the Champions League.
One of the bright sparks from a gloomy campaign was the emergence of Stefan Bajcetic, who, aged 18, provided his outfit with some newfound energy and ferocity in midfield, heralded for his "exceptional" displays by his manager.
His rise is a testament to the rekindled vigour of the Liverpool youth academy, which has welcomed through vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold in recent years and rising first-team star Curtis Jones, who continues to impress this season.
Ben Doak is the latest prodigy edging his way into Klopp's plans, and what a player the Anfield side might have as he continues to make the increments with an age-belying flourish.
How much did Liverpool pay for Ben Doak?
Doak is a Scottish winger with blistering pace and a diminutive stature that allows him to utilise his low centre of gravity to great effect, whizzing and weaving through the half-spaces and wide channels to drive the ball into the danger area.
Still only 17-years-old, he signed for Liverpool from an Ange Postecoglou-led Scottish Premiership giants Celtic for a compensation fee of about £600k, having made two senior appearances for the Hoops despite residing in his formative years.
While the fee paid is quite tall for an unknown youth commodity, he already seems to be repaying the faith entrusted in his precocity and is already valued at £4m by Football Transfers, which marks a 570% increase from that initial fee already.
Clearly, there is a lot to come from this teenage talent, and it's frankly frightening to imagine how steep a rise his price might stretch to as he blossoms over the coming years.
How good is Ben Doak?
Yet to reach his 18th year, Doak has posted 11 goals and eight assists from just 27 matches for Liverpool's respective youth sides, with his performances prompting Klopp to open the door to senior action.
Indeed, having impressed during pre-season and especially after an elegant display against imperious German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, he has already found opportunities to impress this term.
Doak came off the bench against Chelsea in the Premier League opener, and while he sat the following two matches on the bench, he remained an unused substitute and has not been included in the matchday squad for the previous encounters against Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United.
Despite this, he did earn his maiden start against LASK in the Europa League, and while he only recorded a 5/10 match rating – according to Goal – who said he 'found it tough to create anything against a tight defence. Looked a bit brighter in the second half but went off at the hour mark', he looked lively nonetheless.
As per Sofascore, the wily winger did win five of his 12 contested ground duels and succeeded with three of his six attempted dribbles; hardly groundbreaking stuff, true, but it is further evidence of a burgeoning starlet willing to put in the hard graft and work diligently toward his end goal: cementing a spot in Klopp's first-team.
Proclaimed to be a genuine "prodigy" by Liverpool reporter Keifer MacDonald, the ace is headed for glory and is undisputably one of the most promising talents in England, let alone Liverpool, but Liverpool might just have an even bigger prospect in their mix, albeit at a more rudimentary stage. Step forward, Trey Nyoni.
Who is Trey Nyoni?
That rising star is Nyoni, who is still only 16-years-old but has captured the awe at youth level during the short time he has forged his path on Merseyside.
Born in 2007, the dynamic midfielder arrived from Leicester City in the summer following their relegation from the English top-flight in May, though he is some way from making his entrance to senior action.
Despite his youth, the young Englishman (who is eligible to play international football for Zimbabwe through his parentage), has already unearthed a cutting edge to his game that has set the fans' excitement into life.
Across his first two outings in the Premier League 2 for Liverpool, Nyoni has scored in both games and recently bagged a last-gasp winner against Everton in the Merseyside youth derby.
His natural inclination for goalscoring leaves him in good standing for a rise up the ranks in the future, and while he can play on the left wing, he is best used as a creative midfielder in the No. 10 role.
Lauded for his “impressive” start to life at the club by distinguished reporter Neil Jones, who stressed that he is one for fans to keep their eye on, Nyoni is already starring at such a young age, and it is a real possibility that he will continue to grow into a first-class prospect over the coming years.
Doak is a special talent, yes, but that is not to say that his ceiling eclipses the other hopefuls residing in Liverpool's formative ranks; whisper it quietly, but the Anfield side offer a rich pool of young quality right now, and Nyoni could be one to rise to prominence under Klopp's tutelage in a few years.