In what was a hectic end to the summer transfer window for Aston Villa, they made the decision to allow a number of players to leave the club on a loan basis - among those included were players who had only just arrived in the same period.
Lewis Dobbin joined West Brom, but he has been since redistributed to Norwich City. Samuel Iling-Junior, who had joined Bologna when returning to Italy, has since joined Dobbin in the Championship with Middlesbrough.
While that pair have had to find new clubs midway through this campaign in order to get their seasons properly up and running, one who has had no such requirement is Enzo Barrenechea. While Valencia haven't enjoyed the campaign they might've, there has been a significant rise in form under new manager Carlos Corberan - and Barrenechea has been crucial to the run.
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The Spanish giants, who find themselves in the La Liga relegation zone, appointed former West Brom boss Corberan before Christmas and have since claimed half of their 24 points in the last couple of months since his arrival.
Barrenechea, who joined Villa from Juventus before being loaned out to Valencia, has been an important cog in their side this year; of those 24 points earned thus far, only a single point has been claimed in Barrenechea's absence.
Indeed it was claimed in the summer that Villa boss Unai Emery had to think twice about the prospect of loaning Barrenechea out; he was initially refused the option to join Valencia on loan, but having expressed a desire to explore the opportunity to play his football this season elsewhere, Emery eventually permitted the midfielder to do so.
On Sunday, he played 80 minutes as Valencia scored late in a dramatic 3-3 draw at Osasuna to claim another point and edge closer to pulling out of the relegation zone; Barrenechea excelled, turning in statistically one of the better displays on the pitch over the course of the evening.
The Argentine, who has missed out on a place in the squad ahead of their fixtures later this month, won the most duels in the game, won 100% of his attempted tackles and interceptions, won four aerial duels and boasted a pass completion rate of 87%.
“He is a player who has been very important for us, but a squad cannot be composed of just one player per position," Corberan said of Barrenechea. "A good squad is one in which the identity and values of the team do not change depending on who plays.”
It's fair to say that Barrenechea is having an impact on the Valencia supporters, too, who have been gushing in their praise of the Villa midfielder. One posted on X: "What a serious footballer Enzo Barrenechea is… I already mentioned it in the summer but since Corberan, playing alone in front of the defence and with the space that this current Javi Guerra creates for him, he is a brutal footballer. The two feed off each other."
Another posted: "I loved Enzo Barrenechea again. The best player of the season along with Rioja. He does practically everything well. He covers the field and has football. Cut and sew. If the #VCF stays in First Division, he has to fight like a lion to bring him back with an option. Very good."
Another Valencia fan lauded Barrenechea further: "Enzo Barrenechea, the pivot that Valencia had been looking for for years. Extraordinary results this season, but how frustrating that there is no option to buy him."
Another added: "I don't know what Aston Villa will do with Barrenechea...but if he doesn't stay at Valencia, every team that plays in the Europa League in the five major leagues should ask about him."
Barrenechea recently complimented his loan club having developed an affinity in challenging circumstances over the course of the season so far, with still plenty of work to do if they're to retain their Spanish top flight status.
He said: “I always try to give my best for Valencia CF, for my teammates. I have a special affection for the people of Valencia CF because of how they treat me on a daily basis.”
