It is a move that appears too good to be true for Luke Young. After spectacularly falling out of favour under Martin O'Neill at Aston Villa, the prospect of a transfer to Liverpool looks, on the surface, an absolute no-brainer.The £6 million signing is understood to have endured the silent treatment from his manager for a number of months after losing his place in the starting XI.
To make matters worse, he was also forced to watch from the bench late last season as Carlos Cuellar, who was recruited by Villa as a centre-half, struggled in the right-back position that Young had previously called his own.
So when Roy Hodgson came calling with a £2.75 million bid, it was an escape route that Young should surely have taken, with his career very much at the crossroads. But will he?
Villa and Liverpool may have agreed the fee for the former Middlesbrough defender with a minimum of fuss but, Young still travelled with the rest of O'Neill's squad to a tournament in Portugal.
Despite his alarming fall down the pecking order at Villa Park the 31-year-old is still refusing to rush into a decision over a move to Anfield. And, after his humiliating treatment under O'Neill, it's actually easy to see why.
Only last year he was persuaded by Fabio Capello to return to international duty but he displayed the strength of character to repel Capello's advances and announce his decision to never be considered for England again. That was clear proof that when it comes to career decisions, Young is not concerned about who he upsets.
After experiencing such frustration at Villa he can probably see a similar scenario at Liverpool. Glen Johnson is the No 1 choice at right-back for club and country while Jamie Carragher was also used in a similar role by previous manager Rafa Benitez.
Talk of Young being able to play as a left-back is disrespectful to him, for he is better than just being dismissed as a "utility player", the phrase footballers hate. Why take the chance of leaving a club where you may be unhappy, but to one where you could suffer even more excruciating time spent out of the team? And remember, Young is a player who, while at Middlesbrough, would have walked into any Premier League team outside the top six.
Young could still opt for a move to Anfield but will spend this weekend on the Algarve waiting to see if any other clubs register an interest. Sunderland, Fulham and West Ham have all enquired this summer but have been scared off by his wages, which are understood to be between £45,000 and £50,000 a week. First team football is what he wants, so the delay in his decision could alert other clubs.
There is a delicious irony to the situation. O'Neill was partly culpable in deciding to pay Young such a hefty pay packet and is now facing real difficulty in offloading not just him, but all of his high earners.
If Young's move does fall through it will leave O'Neill with even less of a transfer kitty - a fact that will not be lost on the defender, who he has so unceremoniously dumped.
