This time last year it looked as though Joao Carvalho might well have played his last game for Nottingham Forest.
He joined Almeria on a season-long loan towards the end of September 2020, with the Spanish second division side holding an option to make his move permanent.
Whether he had any kind of future at the City Ground was in serious doubt.
Fast forward 12 months and the same question could be asked now. Does Carvalho still have a part to play for the Reds?
There was debate about it in the summer, and two months into the campaign it seems as though the Portuguese remains stuck at a crossroads.
He also finds himself a fair way down the pecking order.
How differently the road ahead looked when he netted that brace against Bradford City in August.
That night at the City Ground in the League Cup, Carvalho marked his return to the club in style. He bagged with two well-taken finishes and could have had a hat-trick were it not for a very good save.
It was hoped that would do his confidence the world of good.
His consistency has always been questioned, though, and that match didn’t prove to be the stepping stone it should have been.
Chris Hughton remained unconvinced. Even amid constant calls from the stands for the club record signing, the ex-Forest boss didn’t give him too many chances. His first start of the season came away to Stoke City - hardly a game which would play to his ability.
Still, that is more of an opportunity than Hughton’s successor, Steve Cooper, has afforded the 24-year-old.
Carvalho has yet to get on the pitch since the change in manager.
And with the Reds having found their form in the last few games, the fight for a place in the team has only gone up a notch.
Cooper has a few options to make up an attacking triumvirate in a 3-4-3 formation. Philip Zinckernagel and Brennan Johnson have made themselves among the first names on the team-sheet. Joe Lolley looks rejuvenated, and Alex Mighten has done well from off the bench.
Where does Carvalho now fit in?
His lack of minutes suggest he will have to go some to catch the head coach’s eye in training.
Almost since he arrived Trentside he is a player who has divided opinion - with that hefty price tag not doing him any favours.
But with his contract up in the summer of 2023, Forest will soon have a decision to make about where he goes from here. He is at the age where he should be playing regularly and having an impact on matches.
Can he fulfil his potential and work his way into Cooper’s plans? Or should the club look to get some money for him in January or at the end of the season?
If he does move on, Carvalho couldn’t have too many complaints about not being given a chance. As it is, he is almost into last-chance saloon territory on the banks of the Trent.
