Amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez, the question has to be asked: is he worth all the fuss?
Without a shadow of a doubt, he is.
But whether he is worth the reported £30 million wanted by his owners is another matter altogether.
Tevez proved his worth on the pitch once again with his performance off the bench in the win over Wigan.
Let's be honest, United were struggling after a lacklustre first half at the JJB. Dimitar Berbatov was not showing, Cristiano Ronaldo was not giving enough (except in terms of posturing) and Wayne Rooney looked isolated out wide.
And with no Ji-sung Park or Darren Fletcher in the middle of the pitch they were being overrun by a tigerish Wigan midfield consisting of Lee Catermole, Michael Brown and Paul Scharner.
Part of the problem was that Paul Scholes - unusually off-form - and Michael Carrick are too similar in style. Essentially, they do the same job. Allow one to play alongside the likes of Fletcher and it works a treat, but I don't believe they can play together.
But back to Tevez. As soon as the Argentinian entered the fray, the game was turned on its head. If he hadn't come on, United would be sweating slightly come the weekend's game against Arsenal. As it is, with just a point needed to secure the title, the game should prove to be a celebration.
What I love about Tevez is his work ethic. You can stick him on the pitch in a Carling Cup game away at Rochdale on a wet and miserable Wednesday night and he'll still give his all, just as he would if he were lining up against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
His energy and enthusiasm are second to none and I can assure you, defenders do not like playing against him. I certainly wouldn't enjoy him snapping at my heels for 90 minutes - or even half an hour.
The biggest compliment I can pay him is that I see him as an updated, quicker version of Mark Hughes, who was an absolute nightmare to play against.
Despite being South American, he has the same British mentality as Sparky did - he loves going shoulder-to-shoulder, he rarely goes down and he'll scrap for anything on any occasion.
Tevez comes on to change games, much in the same way Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to. But that's where the comparisons between those two end - while, like Tevez, Ole posed a goal threat, the Argentine has an entirely different energy about him.
And he has every right to be knocking on the manger's door, asking why he isn't starting the big matches instead of, say, Berbatov.
Indeed, Berbatov himself provides a good argument for United fans who want to see Tevez stay.
The Bulgarian's arrival has set a precedent of sorts - after all, if £30m can be spent on him, then why not Tevez? That is the question the holders of the club's purse strings will have to ask themselves over the coming months.
Yet amid all the doubt, one thing is for sure - Tevez has far too much about him for United to lose him this summer. And if that means paying ridiculously over-the-odds to seal his signature, then perhaps United will have to.
If not, United's loss will certainly be another club's gain.
The visitors had applied the early pressure and it paid off in the 19th minute when they took the lead through Emmanuel Adebayor. Neat interplay allowed Gael Clichy to break clear down the left flank and his cross picked out Adebayor, who powerfully headed home.
Striker Claudio Pizarro headed home a Juliano Belletti corner in the 79th minute to give Avram Grant's side victory.
