It was the voice that Connor Masterson remembers best.
"Crazy, man!" The Queen's Park Ranger's defender told Enough Foot that his mind went back to the spring of 2018.
"You're standing there looking around, trying to stay calm and accept it all, but it feels like 'Oh my God!' Do you understand?"
He was 19 when Masterson was a substitute in the Champions League quarter-finals and had not yet played in the youth team.
That night, Liverpool beat that year's Premier League champions Manchester City 3-0 at home to advance to the champions league final four. Masterson ultimately failed to play.
"It was the best night of my life." Two and a half years later he said: "Obviously, I want to have a long and successful career, but I would be surprised if I go through something like this again. It's unbelievable. ”
A few days later, Masterson was on the bench again, this time at Goodison Park for the Merseyside derby. He still didn't play, watching a 0-0 draw.
He recalled: "I desperately wanted to play that day. Against Manchester City, you think 'Well, maybe that's a bit of an overarching thing for me!' but at Everton it's like 'Get me on!'"
"Even if it's a few minutes of right winger or something, I'll be happy!"
Instead, in Masterson's memory, Irish national team captain Shelmers Coleman found him after the game.
"He's been nice to me." He said: "He gave me his shirt and said I was in good shape and hoped to see me in the national team soon. It meant a lot to me as a young lad. ”
Masterson joined Liverpool on his 16th birthday in 2014 when scouts saw him playing at Lucan United, not far from his home and a few miles west of Dublin.
He has also had trials elsewhere, notably Aston Villa, Manchester City and Manchester United, but when the Reds' Scout in Ireland, Clifford Ferguson, invited him to Merseyside, he made the decision easily.
His father, Sharan, is a West Ham supporter, but Connor has been a Liverpool fan since childhood and idolized Gerrard.
"My dad has converted now!" He laughed.
At liverpool academy, Masterson's team-mates include Ben Woodburn and Ovie Ayaria. There is also a slender midfielder with a fiery temperament and a wide range of passes.
Is this man Actually Trent Alexander-Arnold?
"Trent was a reckless man then!" Masterson laughed and said, "But what a great player he is. He played in midfield, but when we started playing U18, the coach thought his best way out was to play right-back. ”
"Good decision, huh?"
Coaches fondly remember Masterson as a highly talented centre-back, excellent passer and excellent game interpreter. "A Rolls-Royce." Academy coach Phil Rothko described him this way.
Masterson adapted well. He enjoys working under Lindes at the U16 level, albeit for a short time.
"He's the best coach I've ever coached and I've had some good coaches." He said of Linds. Linds now serves as an assistant coach for Jürgen Klopp in the first team.
"Pep's (Linders) love for the sport is tremendous. He allowed me to reach my fullest potential. Every day when I train I think 'this will be good'. His training sessions are crazy!"
"Obviously, Klopp is the centrepiece of Liverpool, but Pep (Linders) is a big reason they're able to get to the level they can reach. What a great coach, man. ”
Masterson, who captained Liverpool's Under-18 youth team, was soon invited by Brandon Rodgers to train with the senior team in Melwood.
There, he was stunned by what he saw – especially the ability of a player.
"Daniel Sturridge!" He said: "He's too strong to be true. He tore everyone to shreds. ”
"Coutinho is good, but Sturridge is at another level. He's so agile, he has speed, he can finish races, he has skill, he can do anything. To me, he was conspicuous. ”
With Rodgers replaced by Klopp, Masterson took on the bench in the FA Cup match against Exeter City in January 2016; this night, Benteke was captained and Jose Henrique, Thiago Ilori and Joe Maguire played centre-backs.
He trained at Melwood under Klopp's guidance and thus witnessed the development of the team and achieved such great success at home and on the European continent.
"You just feel it." He said: "The atmosphere of the whole team is growing. Everyone has become more confident – the players, the staff, the supporters. Levels have been rising. ”
Unlike his old friend Alexander Arnold, Masterson never rose to prominence. He appeared on the bench three times, but none of them played. He left Liverpool at the end of the 2018-19 season.
"I only have fond memories of my time there," he says now, "and if I hadn't been hurt at the wrong time, things might have been different, but you can't think like that." ”
"I was going to go to the U.S. with a team for pre-season training (in 2018) but I had an injury in my knee and needed surgery. This shouldn't have happened. You can only move on. No regrets. ”
He joined queen park rangers after his contract expired and adapted well to life in the Championship. In his first season, he made 14 appearances and was awarded a new three-year contract in September.
"I want to play first-team football," he said: "I need to keep playing men's football." ”
"The work was stressful, but I really enjoyed it. It's more physical and demanding, but that's exactly what I want. I want to play two or three games a week and I want to play every game as well as I can, so it's not a problem. ”
Of course, he still keeps a close eye on Liverpool. He enjoys watching Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones shine in the first team.
"They deserve it, man." "They work hard," he said. Playing for Liverpool... If you don't deserve it, you won't go there. ”
For himself, the goal is simple; Got a fixed position at QPR and hopefully entered the Irish national team under his U21 coach Stephen Kenny.
"A lot of young players have been given the chance and hopefully I'm next!" "It would be a proud day if I could play for my country," he said. ”
"But I just want to continue working at QPR. I appreciate the opportunity they gave me and I want to repay them. ”
"Who knows, hopefully one day I'll be back at the level where I can represent Liverpool..."