It felt like, after a promising few weeks, Manchester United's 1-0 win over Everton truly was the breakout moment for £74m signing, Benjamin Sesko.
The manner in which the Slovenian burst from one end of the pitch to the other truly was breathtaking, showcasing the presence of mind to still sweep the ball home in composed fashion.
Benjamin Sesko for Manchester United-1
Now onto eight for the season, and six in his last seven, the 22-year-old is enjoying a run of form akin to Rasmus Hojlund's winter hot streak in 2023/24, with the Dane scoring in six Premier League games in a row between late December and early February.
United supporters don't need telling that Hojlund's purple patch ultimately proved something of a flash in the pan, with Sesko still having a way to go to prove he isn't cut from the same cloth.
Benjamin-Sesko-Man-Utd-scoring-spree
Indeed, the former RB Leipzig man also has plenty to do to warrant the tag of being United's 'modern day Ole Gunnar Solskjaer'.
Sesko's Man Utd record as a sub vs as a starter
Sesko still hasn't started a game under new boss Michael Carrick, but you wouldn't know it. There's been no obvious sulking or frustration, even after having not made it onto the pitch in the Manchester derby, with the young striker simply biding his time, ready to pounce when thrust into action late on.
Since that win over Pep Guardiola's side, Sesko has made five substitute appearances, first laying the ball off for Kobbie Mainoo in the build-up to Matheus Cunha's stunner against Arsenal.
He followed that up with a last-gasp winner against Fulham, shaking off what looked set to be an earlier costly miss, while having also been involved in Bruno Fernandes' clincher against Tottenham Hotspur, making a nuisance of himself inside the area.
benjamin-sesko-man-utd
Sesko should well have scored himself at the death that day, after latching onto a Fernandes dink, although no matter, he was in the goals soon after against West Ham United, delicately dinking the ball home to rescue a point in stoppage time.
Following his latest effort at Everton, the 6 foot 4 marksman now has three in five substitute appearances under Carrick, having made 11 appearances off the bench in total this season, across league and cup.
First PL season - Sesko (25/26) vs Hojlund (23/24)
Stat (*per game)
Games
Starts
Goals
Mins per goal
Goal conversion
Big chances missed
Assists
Big chances created
Key passes*
Aerial duels won*
As a starter then, those 13 games have yielded five goals, three of which came during Darren Fletcher's caretaker stint, having also registered an assist for Bryan Mbeumo in the 4-2 win over Brighton back in October.
He is providing Carrick with a welcome headache right now, but neither man will argue if he continues to deliver the goods late on in games, possessing that Solskjaer-esque quality for immediately making an impact on proceedings off the bench.
Like the Norwegian, Sesko is entering supersub territory, although United's modern-day iteration of the baby-faced assassin can be found elsewhere.
Man Utd may have found the modern day Solskjaer
In the summer of 1996, it was no secret who Sir Alex Ferguson wanted - Alan Shearer.
ole-gunnar-solskjaer-man-utd-champions-league
When that pursuit went up in smoke, the Scotsmen, in all his wisdom, sought out a more left-field approach, plucking a 23-year-old Solskjaer from his native Norway for a fee of £1.5m.
As ex-teammate Gary Neville has since stated, the first impressions of the Scandinavian striker weren't too encouraging, once quipping that Solskjaer looked like he "must have won a competition" to be there.
Soon after, it would be the unknown centre-forward winning competitions for United, not least in '99, ultimately scoring 126 goals in 366 games in total across the next decade.
From wildcard signing to cult hero, Solskjaer proved the doubters wrong, with it already looking like United's latest emerging star, Senne Lammens, is set to follow suit.
Senne-Lammens-Man-Utd-Everton
It's fair to say, like in the case of the Norwegian, eyebrows were raised when the 23-year-old Lammens walked in the door over the summer, with then-boss Ruben Amorim having been chasing his own Shearer-style, Premier League-proven signing in Emi Martinez.
United, however, were convinced by the Belgian, forking out a relative bargain fee of £18m to prise him from Royal Antwerp, after just a solitary full season as the Pro League side's number one.
Like Solskjaer - who scored 33 in just 42 games for Molde before moving to Manchester - Lammens had shown enough in that brief time at senior level, looking like "one of the best in the world" in terms of shot-stopping last season, as per BBC Sport's Umir Irfan.
Regardless, this was no superstar signing for those unfamiliar with the Belgian top-flight, with it having not even been certain that Lammens would take on the starting berth this season.
Onana-vs-Lammens-Man-Utd-stats
As it has transpired, United's number 31 has proven to be an inspired piece of business, with the Red Devils losing just two league games all season with their new man in the sticks.
Already looking like the club's best signing since Bruno Fernandes, the young stopper was "immense" in Monday's win over the Toffees, as per talkSPORT's Alex Crook, successfully overcoming the challenge of a penalty box onslaught on Merseyside.
Unassuming, like Solskjaer, the quiet calm that Lammens has brought to this side is paying dividends, and at just 23, the opportunity is there for him to enjoy his own decade-long stay at Old Trafford.
There is of course pleasure in seeing high-profile, expensive signings like Sesko find their groove, but who doesn't love a Solskjaer, a Chicarito or now a Lammens emerging as a surprise cult hero?
Carrick-Sesko-Manchester-United Related
Not just Sesko & Mainoo: £18m Man Utd star is now making Amorim look very silly
The Michael Carrick regime has brought about a real change in fortunes at Manchester United.