Derby County shrugged off any signs of complacency at the top end of League One by confidently beating Port Vale 3-0 on Saturday, Paul Warne's Rams thankful for the straightforward three points after disappointingly falling to back-to-back defeats before.
Warne would have been delighted for his new recruit Dwight Gayle in the convincing victory, the 34-year-old former Newcastle United man firing in Derby's second of the afternoon to break his Rams duck.
In a hypothetical world, the experienced third-tier boss would love to have a certain Derby wonderkid of days gone by at his disposal to slot into the side alongside his brand-new veteran centre-forward.
Indeed, the idea of Malcolm Ebiowei still lining up in Derby colours would have given the promotion chasers something new in attack away from the seasoned heads currently making up the numbers.
Malcolm Ebiowei's time at Derby
Still just 20 years of age, young Derby hotshot Ebiowei certainly left a lasting impression on the Rams fanbase in such a short period of time when bursting through to the senior fold at the club.
Scoring a staggering seven goals from just eight games for the U18s, then Derby boss Wayne Rooney would thrust the teenage gem into the Pride Park spotlight amidst his side's growing relegation concerns during the 2021/22 season – handing the exciting attacker 16 appearances under his up-and-down Rams tenure.
Ebiowei would dazzle second-tier defences even when everything was turbulent at Derby, helping himself to a goal and two assists in this patch of matches given to him by Rooney.
Described as being "the best player on the pitch" during a 1-1 draw that same campaign against Coventry City by his manager, on top of being an "excellent" talent", it wasn't a shock to see higher-up suitors take advantage of Derby's eventual relegation and circle for the explosive attacker on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.
Crystal Palace would win his services, in a move that now – with the beauty of hindsight – hasn't really worked out for the ex-Derby wonderkid.
Never really leaving his mark on the Eagles' first-team set-up – with only five fleeting first-team chances to date – Ebiowei now finds himself out on loan in Belgium playing for RWD Molenbeek away from Palace.
If Derby could rewind the clock and change history, the Rams wouldn't say no to having their former tricky winger back to terrorise League One defences on their way to promotion.
Why Ebiowei would be perfect for Gayle
Derby haven't quite cracked the perfect attacking formula this season, not helped by the likes of James Collins, Martyn Waghorn and Conor Washington causing selection headaches up top with injuries.
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Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
That has been further troubled by the likes of Corey Blackett-Taylor failing to settle since making a major move from Charlton Athletic, leaving spots going forward potentially up for grabs.
Ebiowei would fancy his chances at breaking into the current Derby XI to help Gayle become prolific again, allowing the 34-year-old to be deadly after blowing off the cobwebs to pick up his debut goal against the Valiants.
The 20-year-old attacker would twist and turn third-tier defences on his arrival back to Pride Park, teeing up Gayle at the end of a mazey dart forward to fire home potentially.
Able to play down either the right or left wing, with the ability to even start as the striker if required, the likes of Tom Barkhuizen would be kept on their toes by Ebiowei's emergence back onto the Rams scene alongside key first-teamer Nathaniel Mendez-Laing needing to up his game.
In reality, Ebiowei will need to show Palace he deserves more chances at Selhurst Park playing out in Belgium – already impressing those at Molenbeek with an assist on his first league start against Standard Liege.
Warne and Co will just focus on picking up more wins back in England, hoping that Gayle ends up being a promotion-clinching hero down the line without Ebiowei by his side.
