Less than 24 hours apart, they provided a snapshot of how paths can soon become divergent for young hopefuls at Liverpool.
On Thursday, Academy graduates Rhys Williams, Curtis Jones and Neco Williams lined up for the first team in their 7-2 Carabao Cup third round win at Lincoln City.
Then, on Friday, ex-Reds youngster Bobby Duncan signed for Championship side Derby County.
Hindsight can be a wonderful thing. Duncan, though, could be forgiven for wondering what might have been had events not taken a dramatic turn 12 months ago.
Upon joining Derby, the young striker has admitted that the way his Liverpool exit unfolded was "incorrect and unnecessary".
To recap, the Whiston-born forward had played alongside the two Williams defenders in the FA Youth Cup-winning team of April 2019, rising to prominence as part of a devastating strike partnership with Paul Glatzel.
He was then involved in the pre-season tour to the United States with the senior squad having scored in the 6-0 friendly win over Tranmere Rovers, and featured in the EFL Trophy opener at Oldham Athletic.
So far, so good. But by September, the forward had departed Anfield, a move prompted by an explosive statement posted on social media by his then agent Saif Rubie.
Liverpool denied the wide-ranging allegations from Rubie and ultimately accepted an offer from Fiorentina a few days later for a £1.8million fee.
Duncan, if Rubie was to be believed, had grown impatient at the lack of first-team chances, despite having only then made the step up to under-23 level.
Duncan arrived in Italy confidently targeting a debut in Serie A.
By January, though, it emerged Fiorentina were pleading with FIFA for the chance to offload the striker, who by lockdown had scored three times in 11 appearances for Fiorentina's U19 side. He never made the bench for the first team.
In the meantime, opportunities had been afforded to Reds youngsters in the League Cup and FA Cup, while U23 sides had represented the club in one game in each competition, including a memorable victory over Shrewsbury Town at a packed Anfield.
And both Jones and Neco Williams would end the campaign with a Premier League winners' medal.
Had he stayed, Duncan's subsequent involvement was, of course, not guaranteed. But it's clear the opportunity would have been there, particularly with the U23s struggling for firepower for large parts of the season.
There was no joy or satisfaction taken by Liverpool from Duncan's struggles in Italy. Instead, the Academy coaching staff will be among the first to wish him well at Derby as he looks to kickstart a career that, with the forward still aged only 19, has a long, long way to go.
However, while his former Academy team-mates continue making strides at Anfield, Duncan - now on his fourth club - will have to keep ploughing his furrow elsewhere.
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