Patrick Roberts spent the first part of this season kicking his heels out in France.
The midfielder had effectively been discarded by parent club Manchester City and was barely getting a look in on loan at Troyes - the sixth time he had been shipped out by City following their £12million purchase of him in 2015.
The midfielder who had once been labelled a 'mini Lionel Messi ' whilst progressing through the youth ranks at Fulham might have been sharing a league with the Argentina and PSG superstar, but that was about it.
He would feature in just one game out in France - a 14-minute cameo off the bench in a 3-1 loss at Lyon. In January the arrangement was torn up and Sunderland quickly moved to thrash out a permanent deal for Roberts, who made just three sub appearances for City in his seven years there - all coming in 2015.
Since then he has become a regular part of the Black Cats' side, starting three of the last four games as they bid to end their long stay in the third tier. He initially joined on a six-month deal but there is the option to extend that beyond this term. A big factor in that is likely to be what league the club are in next season.
Tonight, Roberts will be hoping to play his part in aiding Alex Neil's side in reaching the League One play-off final. The prize on offer is a one-off clash with Wycombe on May 21 for a place in the Championship.
Before they can think of that prospect, Sunderland travel to Sheffield Wednesday for the semi-final second leg with a slender 1-0 advantage after Friday's night win at the Stadium of Light.
For Roberts, who played 81 minutes of the first clash, it is a chance to inflict more misery on the Owls. Almost a year ago today he scored a superb goal whilst on loan at Derby County in a pulsating final day 3-3 draw against Wednesday.
Roberts' superb effort from the edge of the area put the Rams 2-1 up in that mammoth contest, in which an away win would have demoted Wayne Rooney's side. It would go on to finish all-square and Derby completed a great escape at the expense of their drop rivals. It proved a happy ending to another below-part campaign for Roberts, who had started the season with another temporary spell at Middlesbrough.
Tonight's match has a similar vibe to that Pride Park showdown 12 months ago with the repercussions of defeat meaning another season in the third tier for one of these grand old clubs.
Speaking shortly after his move to Wearside was finalised, Roberts spoke of wanting to be a part of the club's journey as they bid to finally work their way up the pyramid once more. "I can’t wait to get going," said the 25-year-old. "The fans want you to do well and work hard every matchday and that pressure and expectation is something I thrive off. I just want to do well for the people that support me and get Sunderland back to where they belong.”
Black Cats' boss Neil, who took the reins three weeks after predecessor Lee Johnson signed Roberts, is clearly a fan of the 25-year-old - "He's a little magician, isn't he?"
After years of mixed loan adventures and criticism about wasted talent, Roberts is now clearly relishing the chance to sprinkle his stardust in unfamiliar surroundings - and Sunderland will be hoping that it results in a fairytale ending come May 21.
