There is something quietly telling about the first thing Jeremy Jacquet noticed when he walked through the doors of the AXA Training Centre. Not the facilities, not the pitches, not the technical equipment. The trophies.

"I saw all the cups and trophies, just how many there are, and I thought 'wow, I really want to be part of the history of this club'," said the 20-year-old defender, who officially began his Liverpool career on Wednesday. "I was just thinking that I want to bring back many more of them."

That instinct to win, to contribute, to leave a mark — that is not something you can coach into a player. It is either there or it is not. With Jacquet, it very clearly is.

The story of how he came to be at Liverpool is one worth revisiting. The deal was agreed and announced back in January, a £60million move from Rennes that saw Liverpool beat Chelsea to the signature of one of French football's most exciting young centre-backs. Most supporters spent the back end of last season looking forward to watching him in pre-season, getting a first proper look at what the club had invested in.

Then came the blow. Days after the announcement, Jacquet sustained a shoulder injury serious enough to require surgery. Last season was over before it had even begun for him at Liverpool. The timing was cruel. A new club, a fresh start, a chance to settle in — all of it had to wait.

But Jacquet made use of the time available to him. With competitive football off the table, he threw himself into learning everything he could about his new employers from the outside looking in.

"I watched a lot of videos, especially the recent ones, to try and see stuff like what goes on during training and to look back at the club's history," he said. "Even if I don't know everything yet, I'm going to get up to speed soon."

There is a real warmth in how he speaks about the move itself, and about what it means to his family. "It's a legendary club and the football philosophy appealed to me directly, and with my family I believe we made the right choice and we feel really happy here," he said. "They are really, really proud of me. I think they've got a few stars in their eyes, a bit like I have, and that they are all excited and can't wait to have it all started and that I begin to get some training sessions and a run of games under my belt."

On the injury itself, the news is positive. Jacquet is back out on the grass working individually and has received clearance from his surgeon to return to group training. A degree of caution has meant that step has been slightly delayed for now, but the young Frenchman is unequivocal about where he will be when it matters.

"My shoulder is much better now, and as part of my rehab, I'm now back out on the grass on my own," he said. "The surgeon has given me the go-ahead to start training with the group again, but unfortunately it was preferred to just hold off on that. And so now, this summer, I'm going to do everything I can to come back here 100% fit. I will be 100% fit in time for next season, for sure."

Liverpool are set to return to Kirkby in under a fortnight before heading out to the United States for a three-match pre-season tour, and Jacquet is targeting full involvement in that process.

For supporters who have waited patiently for even a glimpse of what he offers, the player himself has provided something of a self-assessment. "I'm quite an athletic player, and they say I'm pretty quick despite being so tall," he said. "I think I'm decent playing out from the back, and I am quite calm and composed on the pitch."

Quick, tall, comfortable in possession and calm under pressure. That will do nicely for starters.

Leadership is also part of the picture. Jacquet has captained both the France under-19 and under-20 sides, experience that suggests he carries himself with an authority beyond his years. He is measured about projecting that at club level though. "I think I can bring that kind of leadership gradually. It's something that will happen naturally by itself. I am pretty talkative on the pitch, even if I am quite reserved off it. On the field that will evolve naturally."

He will join a centre-back group that includes club captain Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and 19-year-old Giovanni Leoni, who is expected to have recovered from the serious knee injury he suffered last September. Working alongside Van Dijk, in particular, is something Jacquet is genuinely excited about rather than just diplomatically polite about.

"Of course, I am very excited to be next to a great player like him. I think he is up there with the best centre-backs in the world currently, so I can only learn from him," he said. "I don't like to use the word 'idol', not even for the best players I admire, but naturally he's a player I look up to. For me, he is one of the best central defenders, and if I want to reach the very top, I've got to absorb as much as I can from him, obviously."

It is worth noting that Jacquet has watched last season unfold with full awareness of just how badly things went. He does not dress it up, but he is not dwelling on it either. "I have been following the Liverpool season almost since the start of (last) season," he said. "But I know that things are going to go better next season, without a shadow of a doubt."

That confidence, that certainty, that readiness to walk in and be part of the solution rather than just finding his feet — head coach Andoni Iraola will be very glad to have him. The shoulder held things up. It will not hold him back.