Liverpool spent £60million on Jeremy Jacquet knowing there was an element of projection involved. Seven appearances into his Liverpool career, that projection is beginning to look rather convincing.

As detailed by Andy Jones for The Athletic , Jacquet arrived after a difficult period physically. A shoulder injury followed by a minor knee problem meant he had gone 190 days without playing before Liverpool’s final pre-season fixture against Como. At 21, with only 57 senior appearances behind him, patience appeared necessary.

Instead, Jacquet has immediately looked comfortable in Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool.

Liverpool’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth provided a neat snapshot of his qualities. Jacquet intercepted an attack near his own penalty area, stepped forward, released Bradley Barcola and continued his run before finding Alexander Isak. Moments later, he intercepted again and helped create another opportunity.

That willingness to defend forwards matters enormously under Iraola.

His centre-backs are required to step out and engage opponents, keeping Liverpool compact and allowing their press to function higher up the pitch. Jacquet appears naturally suited to those demands.

His duel success rate in the Premier League stands at 76.3 per cent, bettered only by Everton’s James Tarkowski among defenders with more than 300 minutes played. His aerial duel success rate is similarly impressive at 76.9 per cent.

Virgil van Dijk has understandably attempted to keep expectations under control.