Sometimes the ones that got away hurt the most.

Neco Williams was never supposed to be the answer to Liverpool's problems. When he left for Nottingham Forest in 2022, it felt like the natural progression for a promising youngster who needed regular football. Standard stuff.

Except Williams hasn't just found his feet at the City Ground. He's become absolutely crucial for Forest, the kind of consistent performer who makes you wonder what might have been. More telling still, he's now a full international, representing his country with the confidence of a player who knows his worth.

Liverpool currently face familiar issues. Squad depth remains patchy in certain areas, and the versatility Williams offered could have been invaluable under Arne Slot's system. The Welshman's development trajectory suggests he was always capable of more than those early Anfield appearances indicated.

The brutal reality is that Liverpool's academy continues to produce talent that thrives elsewhere whilst the first team searches for solutions in the transfer market. Williams represents everything right about the club's youth development and everything questionable about their decision-making when it comes to keeping hold of promising players.

Forest's gain has become Liverpool's reminder that sometimes patience pays off better than a quick sale. The question now is whether the club learns from decisions like this before the next Neco Williams walks through the exit door.