There was understandable concern when it emerged that South Korea would be without Son Heung-Min for the latest international window.
With Son recently picking up an injury while on club duty with Tottenham, it meant that the Taegeuk Warriors would have negotiate tricky tests against Jordan and Iraq without their talismanic skipper.
Jordan were, after all, the team that eliminated from the semifinals of the AFC Asian Cup at the start of the year, while Iraq have been the team matching them thus far at the top of Group B in the third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But perhaps there should never really have been any doubt that South Korea had very viable options to fill Son's void.
With new coach Hong Myung-Bo recently opting for a central midfield triangle and just two wing attackers flanking the main striker, a prominent member of the squad such as Wolves star Hwang Hee-Chan has been waiting in reserve -- with Son and Lee Kang-In the automatic starters out wide.
Even after Hwang picked up an injury in last week's 2-0 triumph over Jordan, there was another England-based talent in Stoke's Bae Jun-Ho to automatically slot into the starting XI for Tuesday's meeting with Iraq.
And with South Korea claiming a 3-2 victory over the Iraqis to complete a perfect week of international action, it provided further proof that -- at least at this level -- Hong has enough quality at his disposal to cope when Son is unavailable.
The bigger question was perhaps right at the top of the field the South Koreans continue to figure out who the ideal man is to lead the line and enable the likes of Son and Lee to work their magic in deeper positions.
It was a thankless task that was previously performed admirably by Hwang Ui-Jo although he has fallen out of favour in recent times.
Cho Gue-Sung was the breakout star for South Korea at the 2022 World Cup but then had a disappointing Asian Cup back in January. Complications following knee surgery in the summer also means he is currently on the sidelines, having yet to make an appearance for Midtjylland this season.
What this has done is offer a chance to some less-experienced names to prove their worth on the international stage.
In last month's qualifiers against Palestine and Oman, Joo Min-Kyu and Oh Se-Hun -- plying their trade in Asia with Ulsan HD and Machida Zelvia respectively -- took turns to start. Based on their club form, both were deserving of an opportunity.
It was a similar situation this time around -- Joo featuring against Jordan but lasting just 51 minutes before Oh did so against Iraq and managed eight more minutes before being replaced.
On both occasions, the man who came on for them -- and seemingly third in line at the moment -- hardly needed any time to get on the scoresheet, and at crucial moments in the game no less.
An 18-month spell with Scottish Premiership giants Celtic that ultimately did not end as well as he would have liked might have resulted in Oh Hyeon-Gyu falling down the South Korea pecking order but, based on the impact he had over the past six days, he could just be deserving of a starting berth when national duty calls again next month.
From the time he broke through for his professional debut with Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Oh Hyeon-Gyu was always tipped for bigger things.
Celtic came calling in January 2023 and he would record a creditable tally of 11 goals in 36 league matches during his time in Scotland, despite only making six starts.
Unable to dislodge Kyogo Furuhashi in the starting XI and then seeing his minutes even more limited following the arrival of Adam Idah, the 23-year-old made the decision to join Belgian Pro League outfit Genk in search of regular first-team football this summer.
He continues to have to bide his time but his scoring touch has not deserted him, with three goals in eight substitute appearances thus far for Genk.
Maybe his familiarity with being an impact substitute has contributed to his latest impressive cameos for South Korea.
Still, on a week when there were questions over who would fill Son's role, Oh Hyeon-Gyu has potentially addressed a different concern by staking his claim to be South Korea's main main in attack.