Ahead of Tuesday night's trip to face Fleetwood Town, it was believed the cup game could give Seamus Coleman an opportunity he might not be used to.
Throughout the beginning of the current campaign, the Everton captain has been on the sidelines as he continues his recovery from injury. He didn't take part in the club's pre-season schedule, but did make the decision to turn out for the under-21s earlier this month to get some much-needed minutes under his belt.
In his stead, Nathan Patterson has taken up the role of right wing-back for Frank Lampard, and he's stepped up to a Premier League level for the first time in rather impressive fashion. As it happened, Tuesday night potentially proved just how much he has caught the eye.
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It was revealed before the match that the Republic of Ireland international would be returning to the starting line up and many presumed that would mean his young teammate would be dropping to the bench for a well-earned rest. However, both actually took to the pitch as the manager opted to keep a five-man defence that he has prepared throughout the opening stages of 2022/23 so far.
Coleman continued what has been a transformation for him in terms of his position in the side, lining up as a right-sided centre-back as the Blues advanced to the next stage of the League Cup with a 1-0 win. That was a role he took up to good effect at the end of last season too, with the position seemingly suiting him better than the right wing-back role Alex Iwobi filled in those matches.
The captain is already a fantastic leader in the squad, both on the pitch and off it, and commands respect in the dressing room. He represents the club excellently well in all aspects and it's no real surprise that Lampard was so keen to keep the armband on the experienced defender.
So, it stands to reason that he would use every ounce of that nous to pass on to all of his teammate, not least Patterson as he makes his first strides in the Premier League. Let's be honest, there's been a little bit of a "young Seamus Coleman" feel about the Scotland international's tenacity, attacking determination and desire to impress so far in royal blue.
Iwobi made clear how much the defender helped him during his time as a right wing-back, constantly communicating to him on when to press and where to position himself defensively. No doubt he will have been doing the same in Fleetwood on Tuesday evening.
And perhaps it represents a subtle nod to the next stage of his evolution too. One that you can perhaps even bring back to the previous director of football at Goodison Park.
Marcel Brands said at an Everton USA Live event in April 2021: "He’s [Coleman] not only a fantastic player but a great character in the dressing room, a great professional.
"I’m now already in talks with him to get him involved in, let’s say, things off the pitch. He’s definitely someone I really want to keep in the club after he finishes his career. He’s a great example for everyone."
Now, it must be said, Coleman could easily have a few years left of his playing career. Let's not be pushing him into the coaching side of the game before the time has really arrived.
In fact, playing as a third centre-back in the system that Lampard is currently preferring may well suit him down to the ground. His defensive instincts are still fantastic, he's always one to give everything for the shirt and his leadership qualities next to the likes of Conor Coady and James Tarkowski could be vital.
But, in the future, there's almost no question that Coleman would be a great coach to step into the mix behind-the-scenes at Everton. All of those qualities that make him a great captain will certainly transcend into that new role if that is indeed the path he wants to pursue in the future.
For right now, though, he could well be mainly focused on Patterson. The 33-year-old spoke very highly of his teammate following the win over Fleetwood Town - backing himself and the rest of the club's leadership team to be able to bring even more quality out of the youngster as time goes on.
Eyes will be on Coleman a little more than his other teammates in that sense, not just because he wears the armband but because of the pair's obvious parallels in terms of position. But the way he tackles this over the coming months could be key in him following in the footsteps of Leighton Baines - who is very highly-regarded as a coach now as he takes charge of the club's under-18s.
This might not have been the challenge many expected for the right-back. Perhaps they envisaged him fighting for the same place in the side as Patterson, maybe beginning to step aside and letting the younger player flourish.
Even in that scenario you can imagine the pair working completely in tandem, with Coleman offering as much behind-the-scenes advice as he possibly could even if the pair couldn't take to the pitch together. And that's the mark of someone who remains a crucial member of this side.
Granted he might not be taking to the pitch every week in the near future, or making those swashbuckling runs down the flank that we all became so accustomed to at one stage. But now he's got someone he can teach all of that to.
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