A few months ago Wayne Rooney could do no wrong; he was the undisputed man at Manchester United. But, how fast things can change.
The arrival of Robin Van Persie and Shinji Kagawa has put Rooney, who also suffered an injury early in the season, in the back burner for Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former Arsenal striker and the Japanese international are clearly the first-choice currently for United, and the manager has hinted Rooney will have to fight for his place in the starting line-up this season, despite being easily the top scorer for the club last campaign.
"Wayne has to get through that period now where he gets game time," Ferguson said of his return from injury. "Probably the strongest part of the club at the moment is the strikers.
"Welbeck and Chicharito have done very well also. I could play any combinations. Shinji Kagawa has been terrific. He is settling in well.
"It should give everyone a push (Van Persie signing).
"In 1999, it did a lot of good for (Andy) Cole and (Dwight) Yorke because they knew (Teddy) Sheringham and (Ole Gunnar) Solskjaer wanted to play and they did get a lot of football. I was able to change them around several times."
Rooney, however, expressed his happiness at the competition within the squad, saying he was ready to fight for his place. "There is a lot of competition up front," he told the Press Association. "It is great for the team.
"Robin, Danny, Shinji, Javier and myself are fighting for one or two places. It is great for the squad.
"The manager will rotate when he feels it is necessary. I am just looking forward to getting amongst the games in the Premier League and the Champions League."
Rooney was employed in a deeper role in the League Cup game on Wednesday and when asked about his ideal position, Rooney said: "Anywhere! I am a center-forward, whether that is playing high or just behind a center-forward is for the manager to decide.
"There are options but there are a lot of games throughout the season. It is great for the squad that we have players with real quality. It means we can get a rest here and there to make sure we are ready for the big games towards the end of the season."
Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday's late game and Rooney is confident of getting a positive result. "We always seem to do well against Tottenham," Rooney said. "Hopefully that will continue.
"Tottenham are a good team with great players. We know it will be tough and we will need to be at our best to beat them. The most important thing is the result.
"We would like to play a little bit better and not concede as many goals as we have early in the season. It is something we have been working on. Hopefully it will happen for us."
