He was the player who came out of nowhere to help Liverpool secure a remarkable third-placed Premier League finish last season.
But now Rhys Williams is finding it difficult to force his way into the first team at Championship side Swansea City.
The 20-year-old centre-back, though, isn't alone in experiencing a tough time while out on loan from Anfield this campaign.
A total of 13 players are currently on a temporary stop away from Liverpool with, for varying reasons, only a small proportion having thus far enjoyed great success.
And all will still be hopeful of bucking a trend in a manner precious few have achieved during the last 15 years.
Even fans with the most encyclopaedic Liverpool knowledge would struggle to pinpoint many players who have gone on to enjoy successful Anfield careers having previously been allowed to depart on loan.
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Divock Origi is the obvious example, while Daniel Sturridge also won the European Cup a year after being sent to West Bromwich Albion for six months.
But the pair aren't representative of the challenge facing most of Liverpool's loan players at present, given both had previously been first-team regulars at one point.
Jay Spearing, following a period at Leicester City, went on to win the League Cup and appear in an FA Cup final with Liverpool, while Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey remain in the Premier League and Stephen Warnock went on to play for England.
And the standard bearer for the young Reds hopefuls is Harvey Elliott, who benefited hugely from a season with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship and was a regular under Jurgen Klopp at the start of this term before injury.
So, how are Liverpool's on-loan players faring?
Rhys Williams (Swansea City)
The centre-back has made only four appearances for the Swans and featured for a mere four minutes in the Championship since September 18 while failing to make any of the last three matchday squads. Liverpool are monitoring the situation with, as with every loan deal, financial penalties imposed if there continues to be a lack of game time.
Leighton Clarkson (Blackburn Rovers)
Clarkson has made every squad since his move to Ewood Park but has played just once in the Championship since September as he continues to acclimatise to competitive senior football. More positively, the 20-year-old midfielder has broken into the England under-20 set-up.
Sepp van den Berg (Preston North End)
Arguably the biggest success of Liverpool's loanees having returned to Championship side Preston, where he spent the second half of last season. Operating at centre-back or right wing-back, the 19-year-old has featured in all bar 45 minutes of the campaign and played against the Reds in the Carabao Cup last month.
Sheyi Ojo (Millwall)
Ojo will leave Liverpool when his contract expires in the summer, with this his seventh loan move having impressed most recently at Cardiff City last season. The 24-year-old left winger, who scored in the mini-derby win in Premier League 2 against Everton in August before departing on deadline day, has featured regularly in the Championship but has managed only three minutes of action in the last two games.
Ben Davies (Sheffield United)
An exception on this list given 26-year-old Davies almost certainly has no long-term future at Anfield, such are the plethora of centre-back options at the club. He has been a Championship regular for the Blades when not injured, making 10 appearances thus far.
Jake Cain (Newport County)
The 20-year-old midfielder has taken a while to settle in League Two, despite making his debut on the day he moved to the Welsh side on deadline day. Cain played for just 62 minutes in the league before his first assist in late October, and has benefitted from a change of manager under new boss James Rowberry, playing in four of the last five games in all competitions.
Paul Glatzel (Tranmere Rovers)
Glatzel appeared in the first five League Two games of the campaign but never in his favoured position as striker, and was then restricted to EFL Trophy outings until run-outs in Tranmere's last two league matches. His two goals and assist in the EFL Trophy win over Oldham Athletic last week were his first of either for Rovers.
Ben Woodburn (Hearts)
Woodburn, another who is out of contract next summer, has featured in every game for Hearts since making the move north of the border, and opened his account with a brace in the 5-2 win over Dundee United last time out. The 22-year-old has helped the Edinburgh side to third in the Scottish Premiership.
Adam Lewis (Livingston)
The 22-year-old played in five different positions and was, according to Livingston boss David Martindale, coming into form when his campaign was disrupted by a fractured metatarsal suffered in late September that is likely to sideline him until the New Year. Lewis subsequently returned to Liverpool for treatment.
Luis Longstaff (Queen’s Park)
The 20-year-old forward has been a regular from the bench for the Scottish League One side this season, whose only league defeat so far came in the one game Longstaff was not introduced. He made his full debut at the weekend in the 0-0 draw at home to Clyde.
Jakub Ojrzynski (Caernarfon Town)
Ojrzysnki, an 18-year-old goalkeeper who made the bench for Liverpool's first team at Sheffield United last season, has started every game for which he has been available in the Cymru Premier in Wales.
Vitezslav Jaros (St Patrick’s Athletic)
Jaros, who played twice last term for Liverpool in the EFL Trophy, has been on loan in Ireland since March and was recently named St Patrick's player of the season having helped them finish second. He will return to Liverpool after featuring in the FAI Cup final against Bohemians on November 28.
Anderson Arroyo (Mirandes)
The 22-year-old centre-back has been a regular in La Liga 2 during his fifth loan spell in less than four years at Liverpool, having arrived in January 2018.
