Matt Doherty is likely to be given his chance in the Tottenham team on Monday evening when the side travel to Wycombe Wanderers in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Signed from Wolves in the summer after two very good seasons in the top flight for Nuno Espirito Santo's men, the Republic of Ireland international was seen as the club's first-choice right-back going forward.
That has just not been the case since September, however.
Jose Mourinho has changed about at right-back a number of times since the big kick-off, with Serge Aurier deservedly the man in possession of the shirt at present.
Apart from a moment of madness in the Leicester City defeat prior to Christmas as he gave away a needless penalty on the stroke of half-time, the Ivory Coast international has been excellent and produced his most consistent displays since his move to the club in 2017.
Doherty, on the other hand, has failed to replicate his Wolves performances and it has seen him only make eight appearances in the league for his new club so far.
Now allowed to name nine substitutes on the bench following a change to the rules, the 29-year-old wasn't even included last Sunday in the matchday 20 for the 3-1 win at Sheffield United.
Switching things about as Spurs lined up with a three-man defence and wing-backs, Mourinho instead went with Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld as his defensive cover on the bench rather than having an extra full-back on there.
It was rather telling that the experienced player wasn't even included and his form this season has left him in a real battle to make the position his own over the coming months.
Joining Wolves in 2010 from Bohemians, Doherty had to bide his time before he became a regular at Molineux in the 2014/15 season.
Utilised as a wing-back following the appointment of Espirito Santo in 2017, the change at Wolves worked wonders for the Irishman's game as he was given licence to push on and do what he does best in the final third.
In his two seasons in the Premier League with Wolves, he registered an impressive total of 15 goals and 15 assists in all competitions for the club.
His stats and consistency sparked the interest of Mourinho and Tottenham, with Doherty seen as the one who could really benefit from the team's tactic at the back which saw Ben Davies push across to form a back three when Aurier was attacking.
Not hitting the heights in his first three league games for the club, the summer signing dropped down to the bench at Old Trafford at the start of October as Aurier produced a right-back masterclass against Manchester United.
Teeing up Son Heung-min eight minutes before half-time for the side's fourth goal of the afternoon, the ex-PSG man got himself on the scoresheet shortly after the break with a low drive into the bottom corner from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's precise pass.
From then on Aurier seemed to be in pole position for the spot, with a positive Covid-19 test on international duty denying Doherty the chance to build on three successive league starts when Man City travelled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November.
His rival was excellent in that game and there was no place in the squad for him in the subsequent fixtures against Chelsea and Arsenal as a result
Trying to adapt to life as a right-back this year instead of his usual wing-back role, what has also not exactly helped Doherty out at times is Mourinho's tactics.
In some games the head coach has restricted his full-backs going forward beyond the halfway line, thus ensuring that they are defensively sound first and foremost in their quest to limit their opponents to very little and keep a clean sheet.
That in turn has a massive impact on Doherty's game as he is at his best when he is marauding forward and trying to make things happen in an attacking sense in the final third.
Even when he has been utilised as a wing-back, most notably his return to Molineux after Christmas, he just wasn't involved as all the play was on the opposite flank as Spurs attacked through Sergio Reguilon.
The following match against Leeds and Doherty was sent off in stoppage time of the 3-0 win after collecting his second booking of the game, with Mourinho looking far from impressed as he glanced at his player as he headed for the tunnel.
Clearly needing a consistent run in the team to recapture the form he showed for Wolves in the Premier League, Aurier's performances this season suggest that is unlikely to happen.
Initially identified as the man to replace the Ivorian in the team following his erratic performances for Spurs since 2017, the signing has only spurred his rival on to greater heights and duly left him watching on from the sidelines in the process.
Doherty can definitely benefit from Mourinho's formation selection at Sheffield United if he decides to persist with it for the foreseeable, yet the hard part is going to be edging ahead of his teammate with limited opportunities available.
Wycombe on Monday night is likely to see him return to the XI for the first team since the Marine FA Cup tie and he needs to grasp his chance with both hands after such a frustrating start to life in the capital.
Viewed as a bargain buy for £13.4m from Wolves in August as Daniel Levy worked his transfer magic, the next couple of months are going to be crucial for Doherty if he wants to put himself in the best possible position to become a Mourinho regular in 2021/22.
