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Manchester City have seen Phil Foden get back to his best over the past two weeks and it has settled a selection dilemma for Pep Guardiola.
You can see why Rayan Cherki is so keen to get back into the swing of things at Manchester City, after the early momentum he built up was stopped in its tracks with the thigh injury he sustained at the end of August.
The 21-year-old is eyeing a potential return to action next week after making good progress in his recovery, even if he is more likely to be back involved against Everton after the international break.
While Cherki has been on the sidelines, Phil Foden has returned to form in style and potentially settled the debate as to who City's best playmaker is this season.
It's not impossible that we'll see the two left-footers playing together at some point in the campaign, but so far, the only game they have started together was the routine 2-0 win against Wydad AC in mid-June at the start of the Club World Cup.
It could be that Foden takes hold of the central playmaking role in this side and Cherki plays off the right, but there is competition there, and it's hard to see the two dovetailing for Pep Guardiola in the biggest games. He will want captain Bernardo Silva in the side, and he has experience playing with Foden when either can play wide or centrally.
Foden's form in the past couple of weeks has certainly been exceptional. He has started all four games since the September international break, scoring two goals and creating two more. At the moment, praise from Guardiola is ringing in his ears.
When Cherki does return, it looks like that central role is locked down for now, either by Foden or Silva, which could mean the Frenchman battles that duo and Oscar Bobb for a role on the right.
There is no doubt the £34millon summer signing from Lyon has a big future at City, but it was always likely that he would take time to settle after his first move outside of France. His return to fitness might coincide with a spell on the bench, and his performances as a substitute mean there is merit in that role.
Guardiola has a bigger squad than in recent years, when everyone is fit, and he will expect players to make an impact when used off the bench. Cherki has already shown he can do that.
He got 17 minutes as a substitute on his Premier League debut at Wolves and scored an excellent goal. In the Club World Cup he scored in another 17-minute cameo against Al-Ain and then created a goal for Foden with a sublime assist in a 29-minute outing against Al-Hilal.
But when Cherki started games against Wydad AC and Tottenham, he had less of an influence. He played 59 minutes in the first of those games and then just 54 against Spurs, withdrawn when City were chasing the game after struggling to make an impact as a No.10.
Guardiola will not rush to get Cherki into the starting XI or find a permanent role for him. Speaking in August, the City boss highlighted his long-term potential.
“He’s a top-class player in small spaces. The vision he has in the final third is unbelievable,” he said.
“His right and his left foot. We’ll see when he performs. For people up front, it’s a question of numbers and he played 20 minutes and scored a goal.
“There are a lot of games and everyone will be so important. We’re so happy to have him, he’s just 21 years old.
“He’s a top signing for the potential he has and he is open-minded. I don’t have doubts that he will be a top-class player, his quality is exceptional.”
Cherki has already shown he can quickly adapt to a game off the bench and make an impact. That, coupled with Foden's form, might mean he has to continue doing that when he is back in contention.
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