Ask supporters of Hull City or Oxford United about Gavin Whyte and they will all speak in glowing terms.
Speak to someone from Northern Ireland and they would likely be even more effusive in their praise.
So, the question begs, just why has it never happened for him at Cardiff City? It is a question which prompts much debate among the terraces at Cardiff City Stadium.
Not since the days of Neil Warnock's Bluebirds reign has Whyte enjoyed a consistent run in the side. Indeed, this reporter spoke with Warnock last year and Whyte's name was brought up in conversation once again, with the now Huddersfield Town manager confused by the player's career at Cardiff since his departure.
READ MORE: Cardiff City news as Mark Hudson speaks out after sacking and forward makes shock return
The cold-hard facts are that, at Championship level, Whyte's numbers are not good enough for a winger. He has 45 Championship games under his belt with just one goal and two assists. Given Cardiff's biggest problem is a failure to score goals, that counts against him, for sure.
But Warnock would wax lyrical about Whyte during his time with the club. He believed, as Whyte's backers do, that the Northern Irishman added far more to the team and was worth his salt owing to his contribution elsewhere on the pitch. He even joked that Lee Peltier was closing in on an England call-up thanks to how good Whyte, who was playing ahead of him, was making him look.
Neil Harris decided to use him relatively sparingly during his first season in charge, while Whyte started just one league game for Cardiff in the first half of the 2020/21 campaign before being sent on loan in the January window, tasked with improving his attacking numbers.
To his credit, he did just that. He scored four goals and played a crucial role in helping Hull City earn promotion to the Championship.
On his return to Cardiff, though, there was a new man in charge in the form of Mick McCarthy. McCarthy decided another loan was the best course of action and he was sent back from whence he initially came, Oxford United. His best attacking season would follow; contributing to 11 goals (10 assists and one goal himself) throughout the campaign.
Cardiff had a number of enquiries about the winger last summer and it was initially thought Steve Morison would send him out again. However, the 27-year-old impressed during pre-season and the plan changed. The club thought he was ready to make his mark on the Championship again.
But after yet another bit-part season, culminating in just 14 league appearances to date, the last of which was the New Year's Day defeat by Blackburn Rovers, heads are being scratched once more.
A goal against Hull and an assist against Stoke midway through Mark Hudson's tenure appeared to offer Whyte a lifeline. But he looks to have fallen victim to managerial change once again, having not played a part in any of Sabri Lamouchi's six games. Although he was named on the bench at Carrow Road on the weekend, ahead of the likes of Mark Harris, Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill.
So, what now? Will he get a look in? After signing in 2019, his contract at the club concludes in the summer. At time of writing, he has only 53 appearances in all competitions to his name. Is there a way back? Will he up those numbers?
Well, his inclusion in the squad against Norwich City last weekend is a positive step. With Lamouchi appearing to favour wing-backs, that could potentially play into his hands, too. Unfortunately for him, Jaden Philogene appears to be ahead of him in the pecking order for that position, while Mahlon Romeo is arguably the nailed-on first choice.
It's been a curious segment of Whyte's career - and he has a number of fervent supporters who believe he deserved more of a crack than he has. He has rarely, if ever, let the club down when afforded the opportunity to play.
Perhaps he is just another player who has fallen victim to constant managerial changes, playing styles and philosophies being altered and there is no shortage of them over the last three years or so. Or perhaps he is a player who has thrived in League One and simply has not been able to step up and consistently impact the division above? We aren't privy to what goes on at the training ground, after all.
Whatever the reason, for a player who has thrived at every other club and on the international stage, he probably has not been afforded enough chances to prove his worth. And time is running out for him to do so.
READ NEXT
Cardiff City news as loan players nowhere to be seen and Bluebirds want Swansea City favour
Former Cardiff City star's heartbreak as he tells his kids of devastating diagnosis
