Liverpool wanted Yankuba Minteh this summer. They did not get him. Brighton held their line, rejected two bids and that was that.

After Liverpool missed out on other attacking targets, Minteh became a serious option. The 22-year-old winger had admirers at Anfield and the club pushed to find a deal. Brighton, though, set a price that Liverpool would not meet. In the end, there was no agreement and no late compromise.

There is an obvious complication here. Minteh is injured and not expected back until at least October. So even if Liverpool had signed him, they would still be waiting. That matters. Clubs can justify paying for potential, but they still want availability, especially when they are trying to sharpen the squad quickly.

Minteh had been viewed as a strong fit for Liverpool’s wide options. Fast, direct, aggressive in one-on-one situations, he offers what top sides want from a modern winger. But Brighton are not in the business of selling cheaply and, from their point of view, there was no reason to blink.

That leaves Liverpool with a familiar question. Do they revisit the deal in January if Minteh proves his fitness, or do they move on completely? Right now, there is no sign of drama from the player’s side. He has shut that down.

Speaking while supporting Gambia during an AFCON qualifier, Minteh made his position clear. “I am focused. I am in Brighton, that is the team I am playing for,” he said. “That is my team and I don’t want to talk much about transfers. What God has decided for me, I am happy with it.

“I am really, really eager to come back and help my team because they are doing good at the moment, but if I come back, I will do my best to help them.”

That is the sensible answer and probably the only answer. He is injured, he has not played this season, and there is no value in feeding transfer chatter when there is rehab to finish first. Brighton will also appreciate the tone. A player pushing publicly for a move helps nobody.