It was exactly the kind of performance Liverpool's recruitment team, scouring for new midfielders, would have greatly appreciated.
A composed, mature and disciplined first half away from home was followed by a more expansive showing after the break, culminating in a break that saw the player lay on arguably the crucial goal in what until then had been a hard-fought encounter.
In his early twenties, possessing plentiful Premier League experience and long established in the England international set-up, he fits the ideal profile of players signed under Fenway Sports Group. And, as was shown in his latest outing, he also possesses tactical flexibility having embraced a slightly new role in the centre of midfield that made good use of his ability to keep possession.
