Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian is testing Scouse principles.
Like all good sleeper cells, the Spaniard assimilated perfectly. His performance in the Super Cup was excellent, and he banked some credit with a series of high-calibre Premier League appearances.
His previous employer, West Ham, must have been looking to the north-west with a mixture of horror and grim fascination as they went through their own goalkeeping turmoil.
Adrian was moving and grooving to Jurgen Klopp’s beat, and we were all Team San Miguel.
Like all good sleeper agents, there’s going to be a moment of cataclysm where a series of events are put in place that lead to an eventual unmasking of their real identity.
The FA Cup defeat to Chelsea set the wheels in moment, before the Champions League loss to Atletico hit the accelerator.
So then what does the gift Adrian present Ollie Watkins with in the 7-2 loss to Aston Villa represent?
The only logical course of action is to assume Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley sent the Spanish goalkeeper to Anfield as a test of their followers Scouse spirit. You’ll Never Walk Alone, we all like to sing, but when it came to the crunch would we live by those rules?
There are always going to be those who are quick to write off players but the majority of Liverpool fans have stuck by Adrian and supported him in the face of overwhelming evidence. After all, we counselled ourselves, he is a reserve goalkeeper and not expected to play much.
We’re now faced with up to six weeks of nerve-shredding football as we wait for Adrian to fully unmask himself as the ultimate Scouse test. Will his orders be to hold his ground and resume normal duties, or to execute project YNWA?
Like the best sleeper agents, Adrian has been building up slowly and exploded to create a moment of pure chaos and institutional panic. Now we have to battle back.