Long before David Brooks had done enough to convince Bournemouth to pay Sheffield United £11million for him last summer, Everton had spotted the potential.
Academy scouts at Goodison Park would rave about him as he made a name for himself after being shunned by Manchester City but a deal never came to fruition and, after impressing under Chris Wilder at Bramall Lane, Eddie Howe got a deal done.
It's funny then that, as Everton huffed and puffed their way to a third win in 10 games on Sunday, the 21-year-old Welshman offered the creativity and flair that the Toffees are sorely lacking.
Brooks was a product of City's bloated academy but joined Sheffield United at 17 after failing to make the grade. He endured a tough loan spell at Halifax before finally being given a chance in the Championship that he most definitely took.
Howe had no hesitation in bringing him to the Premier League and is known to have been amazed by how little one-on-one tuition has been necessary for a player who has started all bar three league fixtures, scoring five goals this campaign.
In fact his development has been so impressive that going into Sunday's clash at Goodison Park, the so-called 'Warrington Maradona' had been linked with a big money move to Manchester United and Tottenham. It is easy to see why.
Typically deployed on the right side of midfield to allow him to cut onto his natural left foot, Brooks instead played as a roaming No 10 for large parts of the game.
Within minutes he had picked apart the Everton defence and some neat footwork down the right saw him breeze past Lucas Digne and pull back an inviting cross into the box that came to nothing.
Moments later the Welshman had a shout for a penalty. He slalomed through two defenders as though they weren't there and found himself bundled over, only for referee Anthony Taylor to dismiss his claims.
If there has been one criticism leveled at Brooks since he exploded onto the Premier League scene it is his ability in front of goal.
Midway through the first half, the visitors stole possession deep in Everton territory and Brooks did marvelously well to hold hi run, stay onside and then latch onto Junior Stanislas' deft through ball.
With the ball at Brooks' feet, he looked uncertain over when and how to strike his shot. As he made up his mind, the ball ran slightly underneath his feet and forced him to push his effort wide and onto the post.
Missing a chance you should score can knock confidence but just a moment later Brooks produced an outrageous flick on the edge of his own box to launch a counter attack.
His influence on the game dwindled in the second-half and he was withdrawn by Howe after 82 minutes as Everton claimed all three points thanks to goals from Kurt Zouma and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Sportsmail columnist Jamie Redknapp described Brooks as 'the best player on the pitch' at half-time and he certainly showed signs of why the top six are all keeping tabs.
Reports suggest Bournemouth are considering doubling his current wages to around £50,000-a-week in a bid to keep him. That might not be enough as Brooks seems destined to shine on the biggest stage sooner rather than later.