In December 2016, Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Premier League debut for Liverpool, coming off the bench against Middlesbrough during a comprehensive 3-0 victory.
The 18-year-old was an undisputed talent and had been recognised for his out-of-the-norm ball-striking ability from young, but the road from academy prospect to first-team star is paved in peril and so many hopefuls fall at this early hurdle.
Alexander-Arnold wasn't the only up-and-comer to make his debut under Jurgen Klopp's wing that year, though, with Kevin Stewart making his debut during Liverpool's 6-0 romping over Aston Villa in February 2016.
Not every rising star is blessed with Alexander-Arnold's elite natural ability and so many get lost in the clammer of youth football, while others break into the first-team fold only to fall by the wayside before cementing a regular spot.
Stewart, unfortunately, falls into that second category.
Xabi Alonso 2.0
Stewart actually signed for Liverpool before Klopp's appointment in 2015, landed on a free transfer in 2014 after Tottenham Hotspur opted not to hand the centre-midfielder a professional contract.
The former Jamaica international, now aged 30, completed 20 appearances for the Reds and looked to be a promising prospect, industrious and crisp, with Liverpool reporter James Pearce remarking that he was a "perfect role model" for up-and-coming academy teammates looking to wedge their way into Klopp's plans. Perhaps Trent took a leaf from his book in that regard?
The ace was even considered to be a distributor of a similar style to Xabi Alonso, playing one delicious threaded ball through to Roberto Firmino against Barcelona during pre-season to earn some comparisons to the now Bayer Leverkusen tactician.
Liverpool could sign their answer to De Bruyne if they hire Xabi Alonso
FSG could set a thrilling chain of events in motion by swooping for the Bayer Leverkusen boss.
ByAngus Sinclair
During the 2016/17 campaign, Stewart featured off the bench across four of the opening five top-flight fixtures of the term but that was the extent of his Premier League career, making an appearance across several cup ties throughout the campaign before being sold in 2017.
Stewart moved to Hull City in July 2017 with full-back Andy Robertson heading in the other direction for an initial £8m fee – Stewart's acquisition was believed to have fallen in a similar ballpark.
Hindsight makes it clear that Klopp engineered something of a masterclass piece of business in this regard, with Robertson, now Scotland captain, integral across the illustrious success on the alternate flank to Alexander-Arnold.
Kevin Stewart's post-Liverpool career
Stewart completed 78 matches for the Tigers across three campaigns, posting two goals and two assists, but he was not handed a contractual renewal in 2020 and he joined Blackpool upon his release.
The former Premier League starlet has been without a club since the 2021/22 season, last featuring for Blackpool in the Championship and racking up two assists from 12 appearances, precluded from performing with greater regularity due to the injury problems that have now severed his hold on professional football.
Stewart's decline has been sad to witness, and it's a shame that injuries and niggling dips in form ruined his chances of building on a promising base at Liverpool, despite being trusted by Klopp to make the breakthrough at first-team level.
The talent was clearly there, with his ball-playing ability earning parallels to Alonso, but ultimately, he failed to achieve the heights that would have been dreamt about throughout those promising early days.
As per his Instagram, Stewart is now a "Worldwide Fitness Coach" – based in Dubai – as his playing career appears to have halted, at least for now.
There's a certain irony in injury-riddled Stewart pausing his professional career prematurely to focus on fitness coaching, but this is a venture he appears to be flourishing in nonetheless.
Now, aged just 30, there is certainly still time for the former Anfield talent to make a return to the game in some regard, but it looks unlikely that he will ever capture the core ability that Klopp recognised way back when.
