With Everton having been surprisingly inactive in the January transfer window, new boss Sean Dyche has been forced to try and get the best out of those already at the club in order to help steer the Toffees away from danger.
While Premier League survival is still no guarantee, a run of four games without defeat has raised hopes regarding the Merseysiders' ability to avoid relegation, with the former Burnley head coach clearly working his magic in his new home.
Among those to have benefitted from the Englishman's arrival is midfield maestro, Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the 30-year-old having been "reborn" since the change in the dugout, according to writer Peter Guy, after previously falling out of favour under Frank Lampard.
Although the former Watford man did somewhat spoil his recent upturn in fortunes by picking up a needless red card against Tottenham Hotspur last time out, prior to that the Frenchman had provided four goal involvements in just four top-flight games, having played "very well" of late, according to his manager.
The experienced ace is not alone in having enjoyed a real renaissance in recent months, however, with Michael Keane – who worked under Dyche at Turf Moor – having also undergone a "significant glow up" following the appointment of his former boss, according to the Echo's Chris Beesley.
Who has Dyche improved at Everton?
Much like Doucoure, the 30-year-old had also been cast out during Lampard's tenure, having made just a solitary, 22-minute appearance in the league prior to eventually returning to the starting lineup in the defeat to Arsenal last month.
Despite being on the receiving end of a 4-0 thrashing at the Emirates, Keane's return from out in the cold has coincided with Everton's recent unbeaten run, having now started each of the last five top-flight games, alongside ex-Clarets colleague, James Tarkowski.
As the player himself only recently admitted, he had found the lack of game time under Lampard "hard to swallow" having received no real guidance from the Chelsea icon on how to force his way back into the team, with that leading to reports regarding a possible loan exit ahead of the January window.
Thankfully, as far as the Toffees are concerned, that departure never came to pass, with the one-time Manchester United man now looking likely to be a key figure in the end-of-season run-in, having been hailed for being "on fire in training" by Dyche.
That praise had come following the £80k-per-week machine's thunderous late strike to secure a draw at home to Spurs on Monday night, with that surprise stunner having capped an eventful night for the centre-back, after earlier giving away a penalty.
While that error may be of concern to Toffees supporters, the manner in which the Stockport native was able to swiftly atone for his mistake was impressive indeed, with that seemingly an indication of Keane's renewed confidence at Goodison Park.
As the 6 foot 3 man admitted, he has been rather "lucky" to see his former manager walk through the door, although the player himself deserves credit for more than taking his chance to impress.
