It has been a pretty bleak season so far for Liverpool’s reserves. Four defeats in a row have been quite hard to take for the side that only lost once last season. Players who this time last year were being pushed as potential first team material – Stephen Darby, Miguel San Jose, Damien Plessis, Jay Spearing and even Daniel Pacheco – have been under-performing no matter what Gary Ablett tries to do.

One of the few bright spots amidst all of this gloom has been the return of Francisco Duran. Signed at the start of last year from Malaga, Duran was considered quite special and, although all new signings are hyped up to some extent, there was genuine excitement around him.

It wasn’t to last. Not because of Duran’s lack of ability but rather because of ill-fortune: the player injured his cruciate ligaments in a game against Middlesbrough and spent nine months recovering. Worse was to follow when he returned as, within a couple of weeks, he suffered another cruciate ligament injury in a friendly game against Tottenham that kept him away for another nine months.

It is only this season that he has been able to show his worth. Introduced slowly in order to gauge whether he was ready or not, Duran immediately impressed. A great touch allied with an excellent work rate, he has been Liverpool’s best midfielder whenever used which says a lot given that the highly thought of Spearing and Plessis also featured.

What is impossible to asses is how the injuries and the time away from playing have influenced his physical development. Can he handle the pace of Premiership football? Physically, is he up to it?

If those questions can be answered in the affirmative then there should be little doubt about him. The skill is there as is his character because you don’t return from such injuries if you aren’t determined to succeed.

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