Daniel James has been straining every sinew of his being to leave a good impression at Elland Road.
His start to life as a Leeds United player has been somewhat reflective of the team's performances in the early portion of this season: underwhelming.
But, the tide is beginning to turn. Over the past couple of weeks, James has gradually begun to impress more and more.
He has demonstrated gentle progress, as one would imagine for a player still getting to grips with Marcelo Bielsa's football.
In doing so, he is challenging Raphinha for the Brazilian's crown in a particular area of the pitch.
While Raphinha's place in the team is practically sacrosanct, his reputation as the side's most athletic player is at stake - not that anybody will care while he continues to find the back of the net.
Marcelo Bielsa admitted in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference that he was aware of Leeds' collective running having fallen this season.
However, he compared it to the rest of the Premier League, suggesting this was a competition-wide phenomenon.
During the opening 14 games of last season, Leeds were typically covering on average five kilometres more than they have been during the same period this year.
It showed he was conscious of such trends, aware of the drop-off.
By the same token, it means the Argentine will also be privy to Daniel James' extreme physical output so far this season.
In six of the seven Premier League fixtures he has played 90 minutes in this season, James has topped the charts for the number of sprints by any given player on the pitch, as per Opta data.
Last season, it was Raphinha who routinely topped out at 30-or-so sprints per game.
In the 30 Premier League games following the Brazilian's arrival, Raphinha made more sprints than any other player in 17 of them.
The off-ball work-rate of these two individuals in particular shows unequivocally that faith in the Bielsa doctrine has never so much as flickered.
More than ever, through the difficult periods, the 66-year-old's players are working just as hard. At the very least, the new ones are.
James' hounding of Joel Ward and Cheikhou Kouyate near the touchline on Tuesday night brought the largest roar of the night from the Elland Road crowd, right up until Raphinha's 93rd minute spot-kick.
If James still feels he has a point to prove on the pitch, after just one goal in 11 Premier League appearances for the Whites, he's going about it in the right way.
