Take it back a week or two and most Liverpool supporters would have said the club needed another midfielder, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister's disappointing form last season.

Nobody would have predicted that Trey Nyoni might be the answer.

But could he be?

At just 19 years old, Nyoni has shown plenty of promise during his time at Liverpool, but he has never quite looked ready to become a regular first-team player. That isn't a criticism. Very few players are ready at that age.

Something seems to have changed during pre-season, though.

Is new manager Andoni Iraola already getting the best out of him, as he has done with so many other players throughout his career?

One thing is certain: Nyoni looks more confident than ever. He is demanding the ball, playing forward and looking to make things happen.

That is exactly what Liverpool missed too often last season, when the football became slow, predictable and far too sideways.

If Liverpool were to go down the route of signing another midfielder, £100 million now seems to be the going rate.

  • Declan Rice – £105 million (including add-ons)
  • Moisés Caicedo – Up to £115 million
  • Enzo Fernández – £106.8 million
  • Elliot Anderson – £117 million
  • Sandro Tonali – Reported £100 million
  • Bruno Guimarães – Reported £100 million

Adam Wharton has also been linked with Liverpool for some time. Crystal Palace must be rubbing their hands together because, in the current market, they would surely demand somewhere around £100 million for him.

So, are we getting ahead of ourselves, or is Nyoni ready to play a much bigger role than anyone expected?

Only time will tell.

But for a fee of around £4.3 million, this could turn out to be one of Liverpool's smartest pieces of business in years.

If these performances continue once the competitive football starts, Liverpool may already have the midfielder other clubs are spending £100 million trying to buy.

One or two current Liverpool players will be looking over their shoulders if Trey Nyoni keeps performing like this.

One of them may even be a World Cup winner.