A few weeks ago, Raheem Sterling's fortunes at Manchester City looked to be at the point of no return.
Stuck behind the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish in Pep Guardiola's attacking ranks, and failing to impress when he did find minutes, it seemed inevitable that Sterling would see out the rest of the season on the substitutes' bench before jetting off to Barcelona.
What a difference a fortnight makes. Injuries to Foden and Grealish have afforded the England star a chance to fight his way back into Guardiola's preffered XI, an opportunity he has grabbed with both hands.
After impressing in the 3-0 defeat of Everton last weekend, Sterling retained his starting spot for the visit of Paris Saint-Germain, impressing on the left-wing and scoring a crucial goal for the Blues.
Today he will again start in his preferred position on the left against West Ham, a matchup that will be tougher than most imagined when the fixtures were released due to a fine start to the season for David Moyes' side.
The Hammers sit fourth in the Premier League table, three points behind City, so another fine outing for Sterling would do his hopes of further minutes no harm at all.
A third consecutive start for Sterling seemed unthinkable a few weeks ago, so it is testament to both his quality and character that he has picked himself up exactly when City needed him.
He may well find himself back among the substitutes when Foden and Grealish are back to full fitness, but he is doing all he can to give Guardiola a selection headache.
Given that Sterling has netted eight goals against West Ham over his career - he has only scored more against Watford and Bournemouth - there is a decent chance that his name will be bellowed out over the Etihad Stadium PA system at some point during proceedings.
To remain in contention over the coming months, he must continue to make the most of his unexpected run in the team.
