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Naby Keita's long-awaited switch to Liverpool finally happened in the summer after a year of suspense - the Guinean agreed to join the Merseyside outfit last year but would only link up with his new teammates the following season - but he has looked far from the player many surely hoped he would be as he fails to impress in the Premier League.
The versatile midfielder was backed by many to win the PFA Player of the Year award over fellow Reds man Mohamed Salah, with many tipping him to become a key component of a rapidly improving Liverpool side, but he is surely no longer even in the conversation for the gong.
Having started just seven league games, the former RB Leipzig man is, thus far, looking unlikely to produce enough quality on a consistent basis to warrant a regular starting spot in a midfield bulging with talent and his performance versus bitter rivals Manchester United will have done little to change this as, despite his side picking up a surprisingly routine three points, he was truly off the boil.
Renowned for his technical ability and work-rate - two qualities held so highly in Jurgen Klopp's eyes - the 23-year-old has shown only glimpses of a calibre of performance to justify the £54m fee he commanded, but offered nothing on Sunday as he was a passenger for much of the game before being substituted in the 70th minute.
The number 8, playing on the left of a midfield four, struggled to bring others into play as he completed just 1 key pass - comparatively, Georginio Wijnaldum delivered 5 - and took on just 1 shot, failing to truly test David de Gea. The maestro's ball retention was uncharacteristically sloppy too, as he took 2 unsuccessful touches and was dispossessed 3 times.
Klopp's high-tempo approach requires fluid, accurate passing and Keita's game showed nothing of the sort as he completed 73% of his attempted passes - the second-lowest rate he has recorded this season.
With fellow summer arrival Fabinho beginning to shine at Anfield, Keita must step up his game if he is to have any hope of affirming the star quality which he displayed prior to his big money move to England five months ago.