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Liverpool and Trent Alexander-Arnold probably both felt as though they knew what was going to happen when the Champions League fixtures were drawn.
Real Madrid at Anfield, obviously. It means that just months after letting his contract run down at his boyhood club, Alexander-Arnold will come face-to-face with the fans he left behind. That's assuming he gets a kick, which is far from a given based on the start to his Bernabeu career.
But even if only from the bench, Alexander-Arnold is bound to receive a reception of sorts from Anfield. While he did not technically leave on a free transfer, netting Liverpool a surprisingly large fee in the circumstances, that is unlikely to have done much for his PR.
Naturally, people will be divided on the reception he should receive. Anfield was split before he left, and the same will probably be true upon his return.
With that in mind, Ally McCoist is forecasting a "mixed" reception for the Academy graduate when the sides meet in November. However, he expressed disappointment that there might be some negativity:
"Sadly, I think it will be mixed," he told TNT Sports. "I get it, I know what football fans are like, I get it totally.
"But I think the majority of Liverpool fans totally appreciate and understand and are thankful for Trent's services, which were fantastic.
"There will be an edge, of course, you go back, there will be a little bit of an edge, some of the fans will give him a little bit of a hard time, it goes without saying.
"But I would think and hope the majority will be pleased to see him back, and welcome him back."
Even acknowledging that everyone will have their own views, "welcoming" Alexander-Arnold back feels a little overly accommodating.
Whatever you make of his decision, the fact remains that he's coming back to Anfield with a Champions League rival, not for some sort of exhibition.
For the first time, he will be made to feel what it is like to come to Anfield as an opponent. That is never a welcoming feeling, and nor should it be.
On the other hand, many will echo McCoist's suggestion that there is no need for specific hostility toward Alexander-Arnold. Whatever the manner of his departure, he did contribute massively in his time at the club, etching his name into Liverpool history forever.
And ultimately, his only sin was wanting to leave. While he has no divine right to have that choice understood by the millions of people whose dream he was living out at Anfield, the 26-year-old simply took a career decision.
There will be those who feel that for You'll Never Walk Alone to mean anything, it should not be saddled with so many conditions of lifelong loyalty as to render it meaningless. You won't walk alone at any club for as long as you're performing well and staying put.
But the special connection between players and fans at Liverpool has always had to go two ways. It was Alexander-Arnold who chose to sever that — and while he may yet be remembered fondly in time, Anfield has every right to close ranks when he comes back so soon after walking away.
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