Having been in the audition process for one spot in this Arsenal side, Noni Madueke has now found himself recast.
A new role has come up, this one perhaps more to his liking and with even more responsibility.
Madueke had been battling it out for the left wing shirt with Eberechi Eze, potentially only until Christos Tzolis returns in the next week or so.
Madueke is in pole position to make that shirt his own. With matches against both Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid this side of Christmas, there are big stages ahead from which to impress.
This first match without Saka, a 2-0 win over Everton, was a duel audition of sorts for Madueke.
Madueke will want to prove he can cover for Saka not just for club but for country too and this was a very promising start.
Noni Madueke celebrates with Gabriel after Arsenal went 2-0 up at home to Everton
Getty
It feels like there is a real effort from not just Mikel Arteta but the Arsenal players as well to keep Madueke's confidence up. He is a player that blows hot and cold and Arsenal need him to deliver over the next couple of months.
When one attack broke down in the first half after he played a loose pass, Madueke threw his head up in disappointment. Arteta sprinted to the edge of his technical area in front of the winger, applauding him. Martin Odegaard was similarly encouraging.
Madueke's relationship with Ben White is, unsurprisingly, a long way off the combination that the right-back has with Bukayo Saka, after so many seasons playing together.
On one occasion, White voiced his frustration at Madueke not playing him in on the overlap. A couple of minutes later, the pair had another lengthy exchange.
Madueke is not a ruthlessly efficient winger, in his decision making or execution. He is, though, a volume player. He will try and try again, some will be good, some will be bad, and sometimes the chaos in itself is enough.
In the first half, he turned sharply and drove into the box, dragging a shot just wide. Shortly after, he brought a ball down out of the sky brilliantly, swivelled and fired a shot into the side-netting.
To say Madueke was having fun would be an understatement. When Vitaliy Mykolenko took a heavy touch to gift Arsenal a corner, Madueke literally laughed in his face for about five seconds.
The winger was quieter in the second half but it was a positive sign for him that when Max Dowman came on for the final ten minutes, Arteta brought Eberechi Eze off and moved Madueke to the left.
It feels like there is a real effort from not just Mikel Arteta but the Arsenal players as well to keep Madueke's confidence up
Strangely, Madueke spent the majority of the eight minutes of stoppage-time playing at left-back. Riccardo Calafiori came on but finished the match standing up front and he then ran straight down the tunnel at full-time.
Madueke was handed the extra defensive responsibility and it was almost impossible for him to switch off. As Merlin Rohl shaped up to swing a cross in, Ezri Konsa shouted at Madueke to tell him that was his man.
When Tyler Dibling briefly had space out wide seconds later, Gabriel screamed "Noni!" from the centre of the box. Madueke got by with a little help from his friends.