When Shaun Wright-Phillips re-signed for us, I raised certain concerns that I had regarding the move, raising the (valid) questions as to how motivated Wright-Phillips still was following his spell at Chelsea where he cut a marginal figure, and one who appeared to have lost his zest for the game.

I argued that if he still had that fire and passion inside of him, it would be a great signing for us, but if not, it would be potentially be a bad move given the lack of confidence shown by him at Stamford Bridge.

Largely overshadowed by the expensive, more glamorous signing of Robinho, Wright-Phillips has nevertheless been instrumental for us, from his two goals on debut at Sunderland to his goal and fantastic all round contribution yesterday in the victory over Portsmouth.

His play has encapsulated the verve and vibrancy that we have shown in recent games, and Wright-Phillips has played with the trademark smile on his face and amongst other impressive candidates, has arguably been our best player and a key component in the formation that Hughes has deployed, providing the pace and width on the right we so badly needed.

Just a handful of games into this second spell with us, for me, he has answered any questions that I had.