There has been a strong need, more than usual, for someone to step up and to help guide Aston Villa back on the right track.
Naturally, the one person who has shouldered that responsibility is none other than John McGinn.
The captain has often been forced to play in a deeper, more central role due to the number of injuries that have stacked up within the midfield.
With, however, the return of Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara, McGinn has found himself once again in a wide area while the Villa squad regains its full strength.
Regardless of where Unai Emery has used McGinn, the Scotland international has been someone whose efforts have stood out and have directly led to goal-scoring opportunities.
It is, therefore, only fitting that the club's X profile shared that McGinn has been named as the recipient for the September Player of the Month.
This has been the type of individual start from McGinn that has allowed Villa to stay afloat during the opening rough stretch and that now potentially has Emery's side ready to mount a serious challenge in the Premier League once again.
Needed contributions for Aston Villa
League play is obviously important. Balancing this with the pursuit of silverware, particularly in Europa League will only be possible with more Villans taking the lead of McGinn and following his example.
Regardless of what is asked of him or whatever the other outside circumstances are, McGinn's energy and hustle levels are never questioned. Combine this with the fact that he is also finding ways to simply get the job done, even when things at the club are far from ideal, and it only makes it so that he needed to be the Villa player who received this latest designation.