It would perhaps be inaccurate to describe Xherdan Shaqiri as Liverpool's forgotten man.
The Swiss seems to permanently be on the cusp of a return from injury and, as such, close to the forefront of most supporters' thinking.
But, while he hasn't quite slipped out of view just yet, there is no doubt that the last 18 months haven't panned out as well as either player or fans would have hoped.
Last season, the Reds followed up Champions League success by ending a 30-year wait for the Premier League title, but they were forced to do so with little help from Shaqiri.
The forward picked up just 300 minutes of action in all competitions last term – just under 6% of a possible 5,190.
Previously, that would likely have been explained by the failure to dislodge Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino that characterised Shaqiri's first campaign at Anfield.
However, this time, his inability to get on the pitch more frequently was in fact down to a troublesome calf issue.
Repeated setbacks foiled almost every attempted comeback, and provided a major headache for the club's mystified medical staff.
Unfortunately, they do not appear to have cracked the code ahead of this season, either.
With 250 minutes to his name already, Shaqiri isn't actually far off matching last campaign's tally before the halfway mark.
But, during a start to the season that has seen Liverpool plagued by injuries, the 29-year-old just hasn't been available often enough.
Perhaps most worryingly, sources have confirmed that another calf issue is the reason behind the player's latest absence.
Still, the good news is that, as Jurgen Klopp confirmed on Friday, Shaqiri is at least now on the brink of yet another comeback attempt.
And, in a personal boost for the Switzerland international, there is an opening ready and waiting if he can just put a run of games together.
With Diogo Jota out until late January (or even early February in the worst-case scenario) and Takumi Minamino struggling to convince, the Reds' famous front three are in desperate need of support.
The frustration of recent years would surely be quickly forgotten should Shaqiri step in to fill that void in the coming weeks and months.
As far as the supporters are concerned, any key contributions to this season's Premier League title charge would certainly make up for his absence throughout the last one.
