Leeds United enjoyed a summer of vast overhaul, as Jesse Marsch was handed a transfer war chest to reinvest in a threadbare playing squad that had narrowly avoided the drop.
What made that task even more arduous was the departures of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, as despite the astronomical fees gained they lost out on two of their best players.
The former in particular stung given how he had come up through the ranks to become a star of both their and the England national team's midfield; the pride and joy of Thorp Arch.
However, his sale made complete fiscal sense given the 27-year-old had been plagued by injuries during his final year at Elland Road and continues to be so at Manchester City.
Whilst the introductions of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Marc Roca were expected to uphold a revolutionised engine room, the latter in particular has left plenty to be desired. Javi Gracia could now seek to repeat his club's Phillips success by unleashing another academy talent, namely Morten Spencer.
Who is Morten Spencer?
A calming presence in the U21s' midfield, the 19-year-old boasts a maturity that belies his youth.
The central midfielder has made himself a mainstay in that youth level of late, boasting 11 appearances this campaign including a further three in the Football League Trophy.
It is in this competition where his outstanding assets are showcased, as his defensive intelligence has shone through with 1.7 interceptions, one tackle and two clearances per game (via Sofascore).
Such is his immense positional awareness, the defensive-minded maestro has often been deployed at centre back too, highlighting his similarities to Phillips and usefulness to a squad not only due to his quality but his versatility too.
However, he is far from just the one-dimensional stopper that his statistics might suggest. His ability on the ball is unmatched, and had earned the attention of Pep Guardiola before the teenager decided to move to Leeds instead.
His mother Heidi Spencer clearly saw her son's future at the very top of the game, as she would claim: "Morten is very good with both feet so they tend to put him on the left wing but he can also play in a central midfield role.
"He’s very creative, he’s a good passer of the ball, good at dribbling and he’s got a helluva shot. He’s very strong, fit and fast and has grown quite a lot lately so he’s now around 5ft 10ins. He scores a few goals as well."
Clearly his future is sparkling, so with the poor recent displays of Roca an opportunity beckons. The Spaniard has recorded back-to-back displays of 6.4 or lower, with an underwhelming average rating across the campaign of 6.82. He has been far from the midfield magician they thought they had acquired from Bayern Munich.
This disappointment should hand Spencer hope that soon he will get his chance to prove the qualities that his mother outlined on the Premier League stage.