If Jurgen Klopp's World Cup brief to Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold was to butter up Jude Bellingham, then it is one they are carrying out dutifully.
It is a role that is becoming more and more conspicuous, though, the longer England's campaign continues out in Qatar.
Throughout the Three Lions' time in Doha so far, Liverpool pair Alexander-Arnold and Henderson's off-field activities have largely involved the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
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"Stroll through the city with bro," was Alexander-Arnold's relatively innocuous Instagram post alongside a snap of him and Bellingham taking in the sights of Qatar last week. Inevitably, the post caused a stir, with several putting two and two together with regards to Liverpool's long-standing interest in England's No.22.
“I’m just going out with my mate, aren’t I?" Alexander-Arnold later told the BBC, sporting a wide grin as he explained himself. “Everyone [is] saying ‘Agent Trent’, but no. We went out, a few of us yesterday, we were given the day off so had a decent day out."
The Reds' right-back's attempt to clear up the confusion did not sound wholly convincing and the theories continued to rain down online, even after Alexander-Arnold's apparent disclaimer.
"[Henderson] looks after Jude like there is no tomorrow," Conor Coady said earlier in the tournament. "There was something the other day when we were having dinner. We mentioned that Jude is a young lad, sometimes we forget that because he is so mature. Fantastic footballer. He said something about his mum making his bed, no word of a lie.
"We are talking about Jude Bellingham here. One of the best players in the world. And Hendo sat up at dinner, he went ‘what?’ And Jude went ‘yeah, my mum makes my bed’, so Hendo is battering him! I would say someone like Henderson and Kyle Walker set the example."
The pair linked up for the opening goal in Sunday's 3-0 win over Senegal in the last-16 tie when Bellingham's pass was swept home by Henderson to put Gareth Southgate's men on their way to the quarter-finals and unsurprisingly it left many Reds fans online dreaming up scenarios of them doing likewise in Liverpool red at some stage.
The England midfielders were full of praise for each other after the impressive result on Sunday too, with Henderson saying of his more youthful colleague: "I've said it many times, he's a one off. We need to let him enjoy playing football, he's only 19.
"He's been incredible at this tournament but [also] for a long period of time now with Dortmund. He's carried it on into this tournament and hopefully he can just carry on going from strength to strength and being a big player for England."
After the journalist in question responded with the follow-up : "And Liverpool in the future?" Henderson walked away laughing as Bellingham proclaimed: "You've ruined it for all of us! You've ruined it man."
Speaking to ITV immediately after the game, Bellingham opted to talk up the ability of the Reds captain prior to a tweet that called for more "respect on his name".
'[It was a] brilliant performance and I've seen some of the rubbish that was said about him playing," Bellingham said of the man so many Liverpool fans will hope is his next club captain. "It’s ridiculous, [Henderson is] so underrated technically and he’s delivered in a big game with a massive game so I think it’s about time he gets respect."
The blossoming friendship that has been struck up between Liverpool's representatives and Bellingham on national duty is clearly growing by the day.
A tweet from the official England account, which was also posted on Bellingham's official Instagram account, after the weekend's victory later showed the BVB teenager on a video call with both Henderson and Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool stars are jokingly recreating the celebration of Henderson and Bellingham after the goal, with the Dortmund youngster clearly seeing the funny side.
But if too much is being read into such harmless hijinks, it was telling that Henderson and Alexander-Arnold were keeping Bellingham company after the game in a TikTok video that surfaced on Monday.
After being accosted by a fan, Bellingham bats away suggestions he is the best central midfielder on the planet before pointing in the direction of Liverpool's skipper. When the fan with the phone then impores the Birmingham-born starlet to sign for Real Madrid, Henderson chimes in, saying: "No, no. Not Madrid!"
The trio of England stars are relaxed as the supporter in question makes his admiration clear, but it was interesting to note just how close Henderson and Alexander-Arnold are seemingly getting with their international team-mate in Qatar.
Quite how much of an impact that has on any player's future decisions when it comes to the possibility of a big-money move to a European giant is anyone's guess, but Henderson and Alexander-Arnold - whether it is a conscious effort or not - are at least playing their part perfectly. Agents Trent and 'Hendo' indeed.
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