Liverpool are back in the Champions League. They've only been away for a year, of course, but it felt like an eternity for a club that has a special bond with the European Cup. They've made three finals between 2018 and 2022, even taking home the trophy in 2019 when the Reds overcame Tottenham in Madrid.
Divock Origi came off the bench to score the killer second goal in a 2-0 win at the Metropolitano - which just felt so fitting. The Belgian was the quintessential cult hero, Liverpool's modern-day David Fairclough, a reliable reserve always likely to make a major impact on the biggest of occasions, and when his team needed him most.
Consequently, when he left on a free transfer in the summer of 2022 to join AC Milan, he did so with the warmest of wishes from the Kop. He'd served Jurgen Klopp's great Liverpool side so well, but had understandably grown frustrated by a lack of game time. At 27 years of age, he rightly wanted to see if he could become a first-team regular away from Anfield.
However, Origi won't be in the Milan starting line up that Liverpool will face on their Champions League return on Tuesday. He won't even be on the bench. And not because he's suspended or injured; Origi is no longer even a member of Milan's senior squad. Just two years after arriving in Italy, Liverpool's beloved super-sub is rotting in the Rossoneri's reserves.
