Barely four months ago, it would have been a sight to prompt howls of anguish from Liverpool supporters.
With 11 minutes remaining of Scotland's World Cup qualifying win over Denmark on Monday, Andy Robertson was sat on the Hampden Park turf with an expression portraying a mixture of discomfort, frustration and a little anger.
Having suffered a hamstring problem, the Reds left-back was swiftly substituted.
Robertson showed no obvious signs of discomfort when walking around as part of the lap of honour after the match.
And while Liverpool are confident the injury is not serious, they will take no chances over the long-term fitness of the defender given the hectic schedule between now and the New Year.
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Watching Robertson join an already lengthy Liverpool injury list is no reason for any Reds supporter to cheer. Far from it.
The dismay, though, has been dampened somewhat by the form of the man given the unenviable task of dislodging the player Jurgen Klopp regards "the best left-back in the world".
With Robertson likely to miss Saturday's Premier League visit of Arsenal, Kostas Tsimikas is on standby for only his fourth Premier League start since arriving from Olympiakos in the summer of last year.
Like his fellow left-back, the Greece international took time to settle and adapt at Liverpool, having to cope with additional issues of moving to a foreign country in the middle of a pandemic.
But after a hugely encouraging pre-season, the signs this term are that Tsimikas can offer a realistic alternative on the left side of defence.
Given Robertson's own travails this campaign with an ankle problem and undoubted mental and physical fatigue following a relentlessly intense year for club and country, Klopp has in any case been keen to rotate the left-back berth.
Tsimikas, though, will have some observers who believe he deserves a chance on merit.
Certainly, while Robertson has been rather up and down this season, Tsimikas has been consistently impressive, Liverpool yet to concede a goal during his 546 minutes on the pitch while his tally of two assists equals that of his team-mate.
Mitigation, however, must be made for the standard of opposition, with Tsimikas having started twice in the Carabao Cup while his Premier League outings have included games against relegation-threatened Norwich City and Burnley.
But even before Atletico Madrid were reduced to 10 men, he had been impressive in the Champions League encounter earlier this month when raiding down the left and providing sufficient cover for an admittedly under-worked back line.
Robertson would likely have been rested anyway for dead rubber at home to FC Porto on Wednesday, most likely giving Tsimikas another opportunity.
And those who believe the 25-year-old is a serious competitor for regular conclusion will soon have their faith put to the test.
