Fabio Carvalho showed just why Liverpool are after his signature with a brilliant performance against Manchester City proving he belongs on the big stage.
The 19-year-old playmaker gave Fulham a surprise lead at the Etihad with a composed close-range finish from Harry Wilson's cross in the fourth minute.
Carvalho's accomplished performance was about far more than his eighth goal of the season; he was a creative force for the underdogs throughout the FA Cup fourth-round encounter, registering 40 touches and creating one chance while up against the likes of Fernandinho and John Stones.
The result may not have gone Fulham's way, with City rallying emphatically to win 4-1, but their teenage gem lived up to his billing as Anfield transfer chiefs continue to circle.
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Liverpool failed in their efforts to sign Carvalho in January despite coming close to agreeing a £5million deal late in the transfer window.
Fulham manager Marco Silva was reluctant to part ways with the player midway through his side's promotion-pushing campaign and paperwork issues also proved costly for the Reds on deadline day.
But Jurgen Klopp and Co. are expected to come calling once again this summer, when Carvalho will be out of contract and available for a minor compensation sum.
"We are obviously still interested, it would be crazy if we are not," the German manager said of Carvalho.
"It's obviously not in our hands. It was late before the deadline and it didn't work out. We will see what happens."
But if the Liverpool hierarchy thought they would have a free run to sign Carvalho unopposed at the end of the season, they should think again.
Already there are reports of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona joining the race for the youngster, while West Ham were also heavily linked during the winter window.
Carvalho's assured display against the Premier League champions will only increase his stock as well as the potential tribunal fee owed to Fulham from whichever club he joins.
In the meantime, Silva is confident Carvalho will not be distracted by the transfer speculation surrounding him while Fulham look to build on their commanding lead at the top of the Championship table.
The former Everton boss reserved special praise for the Portugal-born England youth international after the match, saying: "We trust Fabio, he works hard to improve every day even with the rumours around him.
"He's fully focused on this club. He deserves all the highlights because he has enough quality and talent to play at this level."
While Silva has no doubts over Carvalho's professionalism, a summer exit appears inevitable, and his fine outing against City may prove bittersweet for Liverpool as the scramble for his services unfolds.
