FeatureMeet the Academy: The mature, driven and talented Carter Pinnington
Carter Pinnington can be considered to be a young man carrying the mindset of an established professional.
After games for Liverpool's U21s side or particularly demanding training sessions, the 18-year-old will often take a quick detour on his way home.
A cryotherapy chamber is where he's heading, an enclosed space where he'll stand for a few minutes and be subjected to temperatures three figures below zero, all in the name of a recovery.
Short-term pain for long-term gain is his reasoning.
He explains to Liverpoolfc.com at the AXA Training Centre: "If you don't recover well, then how are you supposed to go the day after or the week after? Especially if you've got a few games in a week.
"We have stuff here as well that the fitness staff really help with – the pool, the ice baths, the stretching.
"Everyone involved in sport realises how important recovery is – but it just matters how much you're willing to put into it."
Quite a lot, it seems, in Pinnington's case.
Using modern technology to stay at his best, the Wirral-born prospect believes his skillset is equally in tune with the modern game.
Typically a central defender, Pinnington is giant in stature but totally comfortable on the ball – to the point of being used further up the pitch.
"I've always been a defender but I'm sure I can do a decent job in midfield as well," he says.
"On the ball is probably one of the strongest parts of my game. But I feel like when you go into midfield, you don't have as much time. Because you're further up the pitch, you play forwards more. I think going into midfield can only benefit any centre-half really.
"I like defending. At the weekend, I'd rather get a clean sheet and win 1-0, rather than win 2-1 and get the winner.
"Defenders, that's your game – clean sheets and stuff like that. I do like it."
Pinnington's development within the Academy has earned him opportunities to train with the senior team.
One of those invitations came for Alexander Isak's first session as a Liverpool player.
He recalls: "That was an experience because you're playing against arguably the best striker in the world, one of the best.
"In my games, PL2 and stuff like that, you're not going to come up against a player who's near his level.
"If you find a way to stop him then I think you'll have a better chance when it comes to the normal games.
"I wouldn't say it was nerve-racking, I would say excitement really. The whole point of playing football your whole life is to play for the first team.
"When you grow up and you're watching these guys on telly, then you get the opportunity to train with them, it's a good experience.
"You've obviously got to respect them. Sometimes you've got to fill numbers as part of the session, but when you get there you can't have that mentality.
"You've got to have the mentality like, 'I'm here to prove a point, show what I can do.' You've just got to be ready whenever you get called upon."
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Those moments are the kind Pinnington has been working towards ever since joining his boyhood club at U7 level.
More than a decade as a Red has brought some incredible experiences on and off the pitch.
"It feels like home," he says. "I spend more time here than I do at my actual home. I'm still excited to come every day and it feels like a second home.
"We've had some good trips over the years, quite a lot. The best one I'd probably say was when we went to New York. That was a good experience.
"I've been a ballboy for quite a few games over the years. The best one, I always remember it, getting up and running down the line to the other ballboys was when [Divock] Origi scored that last-minute winner against Everton. That was the one that sticks with me the most."
Pinnington, however, is determined to create many more standout moments for him and his family.
He was part of the matchday squad recently for the Carabao Cup tie with Crystal Palace at Anfield.
"The aim? Obviously I want to be playing at the highest level that I can. Hopefully that's at Liverpool. If it's not, the highest level I can get to."