While Everton spent the weekend being knocked out of the FA Cup, two of their midfielders were continuing to catch the eye elsewhere. And it's fair to say that Blues supporters certainly took notice.
Jean-Philippe Gbamin, having struggled to consistently break into the Blues side over the course of the campaign, completed a loan switch to CSKA Moscow in the winter transfer window. He's played 90 minutes in each of his four Premier Liga appearances in Russia, which was a real rarity over his time on Merseyside thanks to numerous injury issues.
In fact, his performance at the weekend in a thumping 6-1 win against Rubin Kazan saw him bag a goal, an assist and a well-deserved man-the-the-match trophy for his efforts. Not only is the former Ivory Coast international clocking up some crucial minutes in the tank, but he's making them count as well.
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He's helped his side to wins in each of his four matches, including in derbies over Spartak Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow. And, his performance on Sunday clearly shows that his influence is only growing.
Much closer to home, there's another midfielder that Evertonians have been keeping an eye on over the course of the last few weeks. On transfer deadline day in January, exciting youngster Lewis Warrington completed a temporary switch to Tranmere Rovers, just across the River Mersey.
He had already been hugely impressing regular watchers of the club's under-23s throughout this season, becoming crucial in particular as David Unsworth opted for a 5-3-2 system at some stages of the term. The combative, technical and energetic youngster was the perfect addition to sit in front of the back four.
No he has nine League Two appearances under his belt for his new side, completing a full 90 minutes on seven of those occasions. In that time, he's also managed to bag himself a goal and an assist to help his temporary club pick up 11 points as they continue a push for promotion.
A video showing clips of his performances from midfield got a few supporters on social media talking around how much impact Warrington could have made if he had stayed with his parent club for the second half of the campaign. He might even have been a good option for the weekend's 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
However, the majority realise that a lot of context is still needed in both regards. Gbamin and Warrington were both allowed to leave on loan for a reason.
For the former, his struggles with injuries in recent years have been very well documented. However, it must be said that there were large portions throughout the first half of 2021/22 in which he was available - but still couldn't force his way into the side.
For the home game with Tottenham Hotspur, for example, Mason Holgate was preferred from the bench in a defensive midfield position. The centre-back was sent off very shortly afterward with Gbamin finally given the nod subsequently, but that essentially depicted his position as things stood.
He desperately needed regular minutes to get back to his best form, but Everton did not have the time to give that to a player very likely to fluctuate in such an important area of the pitch. Because of that, it made sense for all parties if he were to leave and find his feet for the next few months elsewhere.
Who knows what would have happened if he had been given the same opportunities at Everton as he has so far at CSKA Moscow. What we can safely presume is that it would be much harder to instantly adapt to the physicality of the Premier League, especially with the Blues embroiled in a relegation battle.
It's true that Gbamin is realistically the best-suited to being a defensive midfielder from the squad, but would have been able to fit into Frank Lampard's system? It isn't worth thinking about too much, in reality.
Warrington, meanwhile, has reached a crucial part of his development. His impressive performances for the U23s demanded first-team minutes as soon as possible, but the question always surrounded whether he would receive those in the Everton first team or not.
Performances in League Two are great for the midfielder to get experience, and it bodes well that he is reacting so maturely to his step up to senior level. But, the gap between there and the Premier League is still a large one.
This is what loan moves are all about. Seeing players improve and hit their goals while away from the club shouldn't be seen as a failure in the decision to let them leave.
It's down to those who stayed at the club to prove their worth in midfield while this pair have gone.
