It isn't easy turning out for any top-level club, let alone one with the history, prestige and expectation of Liverpool.
And if there's one area of the Reds team that demands more than most under Jurgen Klopp, it's midfield.
Witness the time it took for a player with as impressive a reputation as Fabinho to begin showing his worth following his arrival from Monaco three years ago.
As the beating heart of Klopp's Liverpool, the engine room can take a bit of getting used to.
And with Gini Wijnaldum, the midfield mainstay throughout his five years at Anfield, now heading for pastures new at Paris Saint-Germain, reconfiguration is required.
Not necessarily, though, by means of a new face.
Midfield remains down the list of priorities at present as Liverpool's recruitment team investigate how best to continue evolving and strengthening the squad.
That's not to say there aren't players being monitored, with the Reds keeping an eye on a number of leading or promising midfield talents.
Germany international Florian Neuhaus has long been on the radar, but interest has cooled with Liverpool having chosen not to trigger a £34.25million release clause before it expired last month.
Aston Villa talisman John McGinn was mentioned earlier this week although there is no serious interest in making a move at this time despite Klopp's obvious admiration of the Scotland international.
Now, in the wake of his impressive performances for Portugal at Euro 2020, Renato Sanches has again been linked.
Lille have admitted they could struggle to hold on to the former Bayern Munich man. Liverpool, though, regard the overall deal for his services as too expensive considering the status he would likely have in the squad.
And there, as they say, is the rub.
Liverpool already have a host of midfield options at their disposal having spent £150million to bolster their engine room in the last four years.
Jordan Henderson is the captain. Fabinho has become one of the finest defensive midfielders in the game. And Thiago Alcantara demonstrated in the final months of last season why he can provide a different threat.
Then there is the burgeoning talent of Curtis Jones, the experience of James Milner and the undoubted abilities of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, albeit with the significant caveat of their respective injury concerns in recent seasons.
Wijnaldum, having featured in every Premier League fixture last season, will be a huge miss.
Tellingly, though, the only time he, Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago were fully fit and available for midfield selection, it was the Dutchman who was limited to a brief late cameo from the bench at Goodison last October.
Should Liverpool choose to sign a midfielder - and it could well rely on one of the incumbents being tempted elsewhere - the new arrival will most likely be one looking for a club where he can improve and blossom rather than instantly become one of the main men.
Of course, with the transfer window yet to open for deals with overseas clubs and Euro 2020 and the Copa America still providing a distraction, there remains plenty of scope for matters to change.
But it won't be straightforward for Liverpool to find the right man for Klopp's latest midfield evolution.
