Jurgen Klopp has unearthed surprise Liverpool playmaker quietly outshining Jack Grealish and Mykhailo Mudryk

It's been a season of pleasant surprises for Liverpool. In the summer, even the most optimistic of Kopites could not have imagined the Reds' current position.

The 2023-24 campaign was supposed to be a transitional one after a squad rebuild. Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool 2.0 was dubbed as akin to his first full season in charge at Anfield in 2016-17 when Champions League qualification was the chief aim.

However, the Reds find themselves leading the Premier League by five points and have a Carabao Cup final against Chelsea to look forward to. And with Liverpool still in the Europa League and FA Cup, there's every chance they'll go deep in the respective competitions. Supporters might not have been braced for their bank balance to take such a hit. Not that they'll care, mind you.

One of the biggest revelations to come out of the season was certainly not foreseen. Klopp could not have even envisaged Jarell Quansah's magnificent progress that's transformed from a Reds rookie to a cast-iron member of the squad.

Before the start of the campaign, the centre-back had not made his Liverpool debut. He'd returned to Anfield against the backdrop of a loan spell at League One outfit Bristol Rovers. Amid the clamour for Klopp to sign a new centre-half in the summer transfer window, Quansah was instead given an opportunity - and has thrived in his 16 appearances so far.

The 20-year-old delivered another impeccable performance to book Liverpool's spot at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final following a 1-1 draw against Fulham in the last-four second leg. Not only that but he engineered the opening goal for Luis Diaz that proved decisive for the Reds to claim a 3-2 aggregate triumph.

Quansah's raking diagonal ball was taken down by Diaz, who weaved his way into the Fulham box before managing to squirm an effort into the near post. The Colombia international garnered the majority of the plaudits but Quansah's contribution should not go unnoticed - nor was it a stroke of luck.

The former Reds under-18s captain recorded his third assist of the season. Quansah also set up Diogo Jota's goal in the 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round win over Leicester City and then Dominik Szoboslai's strike in the quarter-final triumph against West Ham.

In all competitions, Quansah is joint-third for assists at Liverpool in all competitions behind Darwin Nunez (10), Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold (both nine). Interestingly, Joe Gomez also has three assists along with Jota, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas while Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have two apiece.

What's more, Quansah has directly created more goals than Jack Grealish and Mykhaylo Mudryk (both two) - signed for £100 million and £88.5 million by Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.

Virgil van Dijk's prowess to swiftly start attacks with his long passing has been an underestimated attribute for Liverpool. Quansah has been tipped by some to be the Liverpool captain's long-term successor for his dominant defensive qualities - and he has displayed early signs he could fill the void in possession.