Bradford City's welcoming of local rivals Sheffield United on Sunday marked a month since West Ham United defender Reece Burke signed for the Bantams on a one-month loan.
In the days building up to the clash, the League One club announced that the 19-year-old had extended his stay in Yorkshire by a further month, with the teenager having enjoyed a highly successful four weeks at Valley Parade, both on a personal and team basis.
A first senior goal helped Bradford to their first away win of the season against Oldham Athletic, and a first England under-20 call-up and start was a deserved reward for the performances he had put in since leaving Upton Park on a temporary basis - whilst the Bantams' fans certainly appreciated him joining up late with his national teammates to find the back of the net at Boundary Park.
But just what does Phil Parkinson see in Burke that provoked him to extend the loan deal, and why can the Hammers get excited about the young prospect?
Stepped up in under pressure role
The first thing that is worth noting about Burke's inclusion at Bradford thus far is that it was a questioned move by Parkinson, initially.
City endured a big loss in defence in the summer, with Andrew Davies, who had been with the club since 2011 and was a firm fan favourite, not to mention a huge player for the team, departing to join Ross County.
Many expected Parkinson to make the impressive Gary MacKenzie's loan deal permanent as a result of this loss, the Blackpool man having deputised for the injury-prone Davies various times during the 2014-15 season, being more than effective every time. However, Doncaster Rovers snapped him up, leaving the Bantams with just one centre-back in Rory McArdle.
The club struggled to recruit their main targets in the window and, after new signing Nathan Clarke failed to convince in the opening few fixtures, Burke was brought in to start for the team.
With big boots to fill and his Premier League link bringing big expectations, the then 18-year-old was always going to need to make a good first impression at Valley Parade for the fans to be convinced.
He did exactly this though, and has continued to impress since making his debut in a goalless draw with Barnsley last month, performing well under the pressure, in front of 18,000 fans every other week, and he is certainly relishing the challenge.
Burke's modern footballing abilities complement partner McArdle
Burke has firmly established himself ahead of Clarke in the pecking order since arriving, and has started to form a strong partnership with McArdle in the heart of defence.
One of the main reasons for this is because of the type of footballer he is - a type which contrasts, but complements, the Northern Irishman's style.
As is typical of his age and, thus, the era of football he has developed in, Burke is a technically sound footballer who likes to play out from the back. He's a modern day defender, one who looks for a short, productive pass and wants his team to keep possession to progress up the pitch - something that has clearly been ingrained in him by West Ham.
As a result, he has linked up particularly well with another Bradford loanee, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Lee Evans. The 21-year-old midfielder has joined the Bantams until January and his liveliness in the centre of midfield sees him be an option for Burke more often than not when he's on the ball, with the two forming a good relationship and understanding to help turn defence to attack.
This means that the team have two dimensions to the way they play out from the back, with Burke offering the easy-on-the-eye option, whilst McArdle tends to use the traditional, yet effective, long ball up to target man James Hanson.
The experienced centre-half's presence is certainly proving beneficial for the teenager, with him learning plenty from McArdle, especially in terms of what League One is all about. Burke may have Premier League experience, but the Football League is far different, and certainly has it's benefits, even if he is looking to be a regular in the top flight in the future.
He may have started with some nerves, a few half-hearted tackles and the odd unconvincing clearance, but he has since settled into the team, and McArdle has been a big reason for that.
Deceivingly strong and great in a tackle
Something that immediately stood out when Burke turned up at Bradford was that, whilst he is certainly tall enough to be effective as any at the back, standing at 6ft 2in, he isn't the stockiest or the biggest in terms of muscle.
However, if people were expecting him to be shy in a tackle, they were mistaken, with Burke's build disguising his actual strength, which he boasts plenty of.
Even up against the most physical of League One's attackers, the likes of Jonathan Forte and Uche Ikpeazu, the teenager has coped brilliantly, quickly learning the lessons of the Football League and it's demands.
As well as this though, Burke is a superb tackler. Whilst most young defenders can be over-zealous in a challenge, diving in and committing themselves and thus being beaten with ease, the West Ham man does not follow this trend, standing his ground well and watching the ball.
He has made numerous crucial interventions in the final third for the Bantams this season already, just as the opposition look ready to pose a real threat too. Most of these have been fantastically well-timed tackles in and around the area, but he has also timed blocks just as well, when opponents are about to pull the trigger.
Though, as aforementioned, he went into some challenges half-heartedly in his first couple of games, he has not shied out of many since, and the same can be said for his aerial duels.
Reads the game well
The aspect of Burke's game that stands out the most though is his anticipation.
The 19-year-old reads the game incredibly well, whether it be when the ball is in the air, in his team's possession, or the opposition's.
When a defender boasts the height that Burke does, they can aimlessly misjudge the ball, just jumping and hoping they win it as opposed to actually keeping their eye on the ball and timing their leap well to connect with it.
However, the young loanee is not guilty of this, with him always judging the flight of the ball well to win it, or letting it fly over his opponent so he can turn and gather it on the floor to play out from the back.
As for when the other team is in possession, Burke is able to anticipate where the ball is going to go, specifically when through balls are played, using this, and his good pace, to get to it ahead of his opposing striker and get rid of the danger.
Nonetheless, his reading of the game can also be useful in an attacking sense.
Even if his team are only on the ball in a neutral area in the middle of the park, Burke helps them be productive by moving into space to be an option for his teammates to find, allowing them to keep possession and continue to build play up.
From set pieces, on the other hand, he is a real threat, both due to his anticipation and height. His first senior goal against Oldham was more to do with the former, the defender moving into space around the penalty spot to slot home the loose ball.
Speaking after the game, Burke said, via the Telegraph and Argus, that it is his "job to peel off" at dead ball situations, whilst Parkinson was full of praise for the way he took the goal.
The manager said that "it didn't surprise [him] that the ball dropped to [Burke]," as he has "watch[ed] [his] movement on set-plays on training." He continued, saying that the loanee is "always on the move, anticipating the second phase," which makes him a constant problem and a nuisance for the opposition.
Positioning could use improvement
Whilst the loan spell so far has been very productive, there is still an area where Burke can improve - and he is likely to do exactly that as he continues to play a big role at Valley Parade, earning himself plenty of game time.
This weakness of his game is his positioning.
Fortunately for the teenager, his pace, anticipation and good recovering abilities disguise this, though this does not justify him not working on the aspect.
It means that attackers are able to get the wrong side of him at times, with his partnership with McArdle often getting him out of trouble, as does his ability to make crucial tackles and blocks.
A slight improvement in his awareness would benefit him too, just a few checks of his shoulder to aid a better sense of positioning, but he is certainly on the right track in terms of his development, with this spell at Bradford continuing to guide him in the right direction after those five Premier League appearances with West Ham laid a strong foundation.
Future looks bright for the experienced youngster
West Ham are taking his progress seriously too, with Parkinson revealing that England under-20s had "a behind-closed-doors game," but the club had sorted it so that he could stay at Valley Parade and join the national squad late, as they "really like[d] him to play for [City] because it's part of his education."
Furthermore, Burke is "enjoying" his loan spell, saying that it is helping him "to get minutes and games under [his] belt," which is what his parent club "want."
West Ham are renowned for their strong back line, particularly their commanding centre-backs, with Winston Reid, James Tomkins and James Collins currently flying the flag in that department.
With Burke coming up behind them on the Hammers' conveyor belt, things look good for the future of this reputation, as well as for the player's future himself as he continues to grow and flourish in Yorkshire.