It represents a major show of faith.
Liverpool are set to hand Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a contract extension following his eagerly-awaited return to action following a serious knee injury .
The England midfielder's current deal runs until the summer of 2022 but the Reds will extend it by a further 12 months .
It's a classy gesture considering that the extension is effectively the same length of time that Oxlade-Chamberlain spent on the sidelines after being taken off in the Champions League semi-final against Roma at Anfield last April.
It's reward for the professionalism and dedication the 25-year-old showed during a gruelling rehabilitation programme .
But there's more than simply sentiment attached to the decision. Jurgen Klopp is convinced that Oxlade-Chamberlain has a big part to play in Liverpool 's future.
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“We will wait for Alex like a good wife when a man is in prison,” Klopp vowed shortly after Oxlade-Chamberlain underwent surgery a year ago.
Oxlade-Chamberlain had flourished after a difficult start to life at Anfield following his £35million move from Arsenal. Powerful and direct, he had given Liverpool's midfield a new dimension.
The Reds coped admirably without him with the arrival of Naby Keita and Fabinho bolstering Klopp's options in the centre of the park.
But Klopp knows what Oxlade-Chamberlain offers. He's a class act - both on and off the pitch. And, crucially, the Reds believe he can get back to the level he was at before his world came crashing down.
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He certainly looked fit and sharp after being handed his comeback for the final 17 minutes of last Friday's thrashing of Huddersfield Town. It had been 367 days since he last graced Anfield.
Now he will hope for another cameo role in the Nou Camp on Wednesday night.
It will be next season before he's truly firing on all cylinders again but the contract extension is a sign that he remains integral to Klopp's plans going forward.
