When Mason Mount was substituted in the 31st minute of the Club World Cup final, it was impossible not to feel sadness and concern.
The midfielder hobbled off to be replaced by Christian Pulisic, after picking up a knock for the second time in a week, after also being forced off against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup.
The tension of Chelsea competing in a final may have overcome the anxiety of the Blues being without their talismanic figure, but his jilted rush to celebrate Kai Havertz's winner served as a reminder of news to come.
The 23-year-old has been a pillar of consistency since arriving in Chelsea's first team in 2019, providing a way to connect midfield and attack, while being Thomas Tuchel's leading contributor this season with seven goals and eight assists.
It's obviously never good to be missing a player the calibre of Mount, one of few players amongst Chelsea's depth that you can virtually guarantee will start, but others may be stepping up to the plate just in time.
Mount is said to be in a battle to return in time for the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, but, with the fresh optimism of lifting a trophy, that leaves some time for Tuchel to prepare.
While Pulisic was the man to replace Mount against Palmeiras, it is impossible to ignore Hakim Ziyech's recent contributions for the Blues.
Since the turn of the year Ziyech has netted three times and provided a direct threat for the Blues on the right. If the Moroccan can maintain his contributions, it will certainly compensate for some of the reliance Mount usually provides.
While there is little to suggest Ziyech's performances would not earn a start in the same team as Mount, the England international's absence undeniably leaves a space open that usually isn't there.
Havertz, could be the man to thrive.
The German international has started just one Premier League game in 2022, in the furore of Romelu Lukaku's interview against Liverpool, but played every minute of the Club World Cup campaign.
The 22-year-old was the provider for Lukaku's goal against Al-Hilal, and kept his nerve from the spot against Palmeiras to cap off a confident performance.
Those interactions with the Belgian could prove crucial. Lukaku's integration within the team has often been problematic with Tuchel picking out Mount and Mateo Kovacic as the only players to strike up a relationship with the forward in the early weeks of the season.
However, in the aftermath of his dominant performance against Arsenal, the £97.5 million signing from Inter highlighted Mount and Havertz.
"It was great, we had great combinations," Lukaku said of playing with Havertz and Mount.
"Those boys are very talented, very hungry. I feel blessed to be in a situation like this. There’s many, many players that I can link up with in the team and the coach has a lot of players at his disposal. It’s up to us to make sure that we train well and he has to make his choices. Whoever plays is going to be dangerous."
Havertz's ability to play in a front three and alongside Lukaku means he will be invaluable, while his ability to manipulate space and timing will allow him to take on some of the role Mount has provided in the past.
If Havertz and Lukaku can truly hit it off it could be a combination 18 months in the making, with the latter encouraging the former Bundesliga star to join Chelsea before he even arrived.
Lukaku revealed after joining the Blues: "I spoke to Kai Havertz when we played against each other in the Europa League, and I told him to go to Chelsea, I don't know if he remembers that conversation."
The conversation took place in the weeks leading to Havertz's move with both players scoring as Inter beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1.
