KRIS OWENS, Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Spot the odd one out.

It’s of course, Connah’s Quay Nomads’ Owens, but rewind five years and it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Liverpool’s Premier League title success could have been built on that defence.

“It feels like a long time ago,” says Owens, still only 21, but someone who has certainly experienced the highs and lows of what football has to offer in the two-and-a-half years since his time at boyhood club Liverpool came to an abrupt end.

Owens joined the Reds academy as an eight-year-old, rising through the ranks to form “an exciting Scouse heartbeat as the class of 2015/16 look to end Liverpool’s nine-year wait for FA Youth Cup glory”.

Liverpool suffered a 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Arsenal to extinguish hopes of lifting the Youth Cup and it wasn’t long before Owens and best friend, Alexander-Arnold, were embarking on different paths.

Described as a ‘left-back with a sweet left-foot’ on the Liverpool website, there were high hopes for Owens as he bombed down the left with Alexander-Arnold on the right.

“Growing up we were best mates and we are still close now, even though we don’t speak as much,” said Owens. “He was up and down the right and I was on the left. We used to always have a little joke about assists.

“Football is a different world. He’s at the top of the Premier League and I’m in the Cymru Premier, but it’s great to see him doing so well. It’s now Andrew Robertson instead of me.”

Indeed, Owens was picked out as the potential answer to Liverpool’s set-piece issues, despite Alexander-Arnold featuring in the same side.

A report after a 2-1 success over Ipswich declared: “Kopites are weary from the regular sight of corners being wasted. But in Kris Owens the under-18s boast someone capable of providing real quality from wide areas.

“The young Scouse left-back, who has been at the Academy since the under nines, whipped in some fine set-piece deliveries at Langtree Park. It was no surprise that the winner was created by his sweet left-foot.”

Of course, not all promising teenagers make it, especially at a club as prestigious as Liverpool, something Owens has definitely come to terms with.

“You’ve just got to keep working hard because everyone has a different path. You’ve got to be patient,” said Owens.

Alexander-Arnold has progressed to be the star from that age group with Ben Woodburn and Ovie Ejaria hoping to have successful careers in the game.

“He’s in the same boat,” said Owens of Chester-raised Woodburn, who has endured an injury-hit loan spell at League One Oxford United after bursting onto the scene with Liverpool and Wales. “He’s got to prove himself again and go from there. I’m sure he will.

“You need a chance. If you get a chance and someone believes in you then you can go from there.”

There have certainly been enough teams willing to give Owens a chance to impress, but only up to a point.

After being released by Liverpool, Owens trialled at several Premier League and Championship clubs, including Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Queens Park Rangers.

Owens eventually landed at Bristol Rovers, whose academy manager Chris Hargreaves was thrilled with the signing.

“We are delighted to have Kris on board,” Hargreaves said in March 2018. “He has a strong football pedigree, from his time at Liverpool and we are looking forward to working with him between now and the end of the season, taking a closer look at him to see what he can offer to the playing squad within the development squad going forward.”

That union was over after just two months, however, Owens back to seeking employment in a cut-throat environment.

He said: “A few things happened here and there, I should have signed at a few clubs, been offered a new contract at clubs, but that’s football and sometimes something isn’t right and you have to move on.

“I was on trials and then at clubs who didn’t really want to sign any new players at that particular moment, so it was about being patient.”

Enter Connah’s Quay Nomads. After spending pre-season training with the Flintshire outfit, Owens was handed a contract, helping Andy Morrison’s men open up a four-point lead at the top of the Cymru Premier.

“His attitude and desire to be part of the group shone through and it became a very easy decision to offer him a contract for the coming season,” said Morrison of Owens, who is enjoying his time at the Deeside Stadium.

“I’m excited to be settled and know there is no pressure on me, so I can go and do my thing,” said Owens, who has impressed on the left-side of a back three, combining his defensive duties with an attacking output.

It was Owens’ ball into the box that Bradley Woolridge headed into his own net to give Nomads a last-gasp 1-0 win at Cardiff Met, while his cross allowed Michael Wilde to make it 2-0 as the Flintshire club went on to beat STM Sports in the League Cup final.

“Defending is the priority, but I like to try and to help out with assists and it would be nice to get some goals,” said Owens.

Incidentally, the winners of the 2016 FA Youth Cup were Chelsea, who beat Manchester City 4-2 over two legs with Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori all scoring.