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When Harvey Elliott joined Aston Villa on loan from Liverpool in August, he did so as a Premier League champion and as the player of the tournament in last summer's European Under-21 Championship.
He had contributed at key moments in Liverpool's title win but was expected to see more game time at Villa and push for inclusion in England's squad for the World Cup.
Five months on, the reality has proved very, very different - and Elliott has become a talented player that neither his parent club or his loan club appear to want.
The 22-year-old is still at Villa Park following the closure of the transfer window but his long-term future is the opposite of assured.
He is now three appearances away from his loan move - which was agreed when former president of football operations Monchi was in charge of Villa's recruitment - becoming a permanent £35m deal.
But that is despite being largely sidelined by manager Unai Emery, who has been adamant for months he does not want to sign Elliott permanently.
So what does the short and medium-term future hold for a player who began the season hopeful of a ticket to the World Cup but must now feel in limbo?
Elliott will automatically become a permanent Villa player if he plays 10 games this season.
In the light of his limited game time and Emery's often brutal honesty about his disinterest in signing him, Liverpool and Villa discussed altering the agreement in recent days.
However they failed to find a solution. And Emery has suggested he is not for turning.
"With Harvey, it's not changing. Our idea is that we spoke to him clearly. He's a fantastic guy," he said last week.
Elliott played the full game against RB Salzburg last week in the Europa League and came off the bench as Villa lost to 10-man Brentford on Sunday.
Those appearances were his first for four months, since a late cameo against Feyenoord in the Europa League on 2 October.
The message, even then, was the same from Emery - "there was nothing changing".
But Villa's circumstances have changed.
Injuries to key midfielders Boubacar Kamara - out until next season - John McGinn and Youri Tielemans (both of whom are out for months, not weeks) have left Villa light in the area of the pitch Elliott plays in.
If they reach the final of the Europa League and the FA Cup, Villa will play 61 games this season.
Douglas Luiz returned from Juventus on loan to cover Kamara and winger Leon Bailey is back after an injury hit loan at Roma.
Striker Tammy Abraham has also arrived, but Evann Guessand has joined Crystal Palace on loan and Donyell Malen has been sold to Roma.
Villa also failed in their pursuit of Conor Gallagher - who joined Tottenham despite months of talks with Villa.
So, a lot of arrivals, absences and exits, but the net result is likely to be a greater need for Emery to use Elliott.
His profile is closer to that of forward-thinking McGinn and Tielemans than deep-lying midfielder Luiz or wide forward Bailey.
The fact Elliott's attitude has impressed and that he is well liked by his team-mates is also in his favour.
Tyrone Mings made fun of Elliott's whereabouts on social media after Salzburg last week, posting a popular meme involving Ian Wright and a former teacher he thought had passed away.
Few would have blamed Elliott for sulking at Bodymoor Heath training ground but he has remained positive and worked hard despite a season that has not gone as he would have hoped or expected.
Arriving at Villa after winning a second European Championship with England Under-21s, it has been other young players such as Elliot Anderson and Alex Scott who have earned senior call-ups this season.
His sound fitness level, despite his relative inactivity this season, was demonstrated when he lasted the full game against Salzburg - his first appearance for almost four months.
There has been talk of a move to the MLS in the United States, whose window is open until the end of March - but that is not a consideration for the playmaker.
Elliott is instead likely to remain at Villa, wondering if Emery will be forced to play him as a result of a busy fixture list and a depleted squad.
Liverpool's stance is that it is Villa's issue to solve. They have budgeted for the transfer fee and having Elliott's wages covered.
The prospect of him returning to Anfield remains remote and while manager Arne Slot has been criticised for what has been perceived as a cold approach to a loaned player struggling for game time, Liverpool feel they effectively sold Elliott last summer.
"First of all, it was pleasing to see him on the pitch last week," said Slot. "He is a promising player and to see him back on the pitch is pleasing. His situation is clear, he is an Aston Villa player at this moment."
Those are hardly the words of a Liverpool manager keen to see a player back in his squad.
Meanwhile in Birmingham, if Elliott features in three more games for Villa, he will join a club whose manager he knows does not rate him highly.
Elliott might be one of England's most talented young players, but where he starts next season could scarcely be more in doubt.
