Jesse Lingard has put himself in the frame to start for Manchester United when they visit Arsenal on Saturday.
Lingard's sublime solo strike and impressive all-round display in Tuesday's 4-2 win at Watford has given boss Jose Mourinho a conundrum ahead of the trip to the Emirates Stadium.
With Henrikh Mkhitaryan left out of the matchday squad for the third time in four games and Juan Mata an unused sub, Lingard seized his chance to impress and duly delivered.
Give the wretched form of Mkhitaryan and Mata, Mourinho could do worse than start Lingard at No.10 against Arsenal; with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford either side and Romelu Lukaku leading the attack, it is a youthful, ebullient front four full of pace, guile and goals that no defence would relish having to face.
Lingard has had to be patient this season and wait for opportunities to prove his enduring value to United, with Mkhitaryan, Mata, Rashford and Martial all ahead of him in terms of selection.
But when the 24-year-old has started, he has invariably produced, scoring three goals in two EFL Cup games before his impressive display at Vicarage Road, capped by his majestic solo effort to seal the win for United.
Lingard has a habit of scoring spectacular goals, with a stunning strike to win the 2016 FA Cup against Crystal Palace alongside similarly breathtaking efforts against Leicester in the Community Shield, Southampton in the EFL Cup final and Chelsea and Middlesbrough in the Premier League.
United legend Paul Scholes reckons Lingard is a better fit for Mourinho's side than Mkhitaryan and believes the time has come for the England midfielder to become a regular starter, rather than just a squad player.
“Maybe they [his team-mates] don't trust him [Lingard] enough," Scholes told BT Sport. "He's not the big name of a Mkhitaryan or somebody like that. He's got that ability. He's got the same level of ability as Mkhitaryan.
"He can score goals, he can make goals. What's his best position?
"He has to establish himself now, he has to be more consistent, he has to produce more performances like that to make him a real first-team player.
“I don't think he's ever gone on from that bit-part player yet - now he needs to."
Rio Ferdinand, also speaking to BT Sport , echoed Scholes and said of Lingard's strike: “Great goal. Me and Scholesy were talking about him. We saw him grow up at the club. He's got this in his locker, he's got goals.
“He's a very intelligent footballer, picks up great positions on the pitch. The more minutes he gets, the more confident he'll get within the squad and he'll always nick you goals.
“He's a fantastic player they've got in the squad and more use of him I'd like to see.”
It remains to be seen whether Lingard's 88-minute display at Watford, which also included an assist for Ashley Young, is enough to convince Mourinho to start him at Arsenal, but he has certainly pushed his claim and deserves another chance to impress.