Harvey Elliott drew lavish praise from Roy Keane and Ian Wright after making a seamless return to action for Liverpool following a significant spell on the sidelines.
The winger, 18, scored his first goal for the Reds with a well-taken volley in Sunday afternoon's 3-1 victory over Cardiff in the FA Cup fourth round.
It was the youngster's first appearance since he suffered a dislocated ankle during a Premier League fixture against Leeds almost five months ago.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was moved by Elliott's performance on his comeback from the gruesome injury and labelled the occasion a "fairytale".
The former Fulham wonderkid was also hailed in the ITV Sport studio, where Keane lauded his mentality to recover from such a major blow and look "really sharp" on his return.
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"You have doubts, it's stressful. Obviously, you worry whether you can get back to the level you were at," Keane told ITV Sport of Elliott's injury.
"He's come back so quickly. Obviously, he's got the best medical care and he mentioned the Liverpool physio - early starts, late finishes. But that's what you need.
"Sometimes you just need that physio and I had it when I did my cruciate at Manchester United with the physio, Dave Fevre.
"They have to get in your mind as well because it's not just the physical stuff, it's the mental side of it.
"It's great to see him back and to score today will do him the world of good. It's a stressful time for a footballer, people don't realise that, but it's good to see him back.
"It certainly wasn't an easy finish. It's a great first touch. He looked really, really sharp considering the length of time he's been out."
Keane's resounding verdict on Elliott was echoed by Wright, who dissected the teenager's 76th-minute strike to extend Liverpool's lead.
"His touch is fantastic. There are two players and one slips and one stops as they are tired now," the former Arsenal striker said.
"Elliott has come on and his touch is very sharp, very crisp. He looked very composed like we know he is.
"The goal is a bonus, but when he came on he looked very sharp, his passes were nice and sharp and crisp into people and it's good to see him back."
Elliott made three successive starts in the Premier League before sustaining his injury in September and will hope to regain his spot in the starting XI during the run-in.
Liverpool's next test is a home encounter against Leicester in the top flight on Thursday night.
