It has been so heartening to be able to see Lisandro Martinez back in training at Manchester United.
The centre-back has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in early February, against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, and has been missed.
He travelled on our staff flight to Bilbao for the Europa League final with his family, to offer his support to his team-mates, but you could sense how he would have given everything to be out there on the field at San Mames instead, scrapping to try to bring the silverware home.
In the meantime, the work behind the scenes has been relentless for Licha, ensuring he was in a position to return to training with the squad on Wednesday, an extremely welcome sight at Carrington.
Martinez's comeback has been meticulously planned and gradual in its process.
Last week, there was a flash of a grin as he entered the training pitch to join the early phases of the training session for the first time since the knee operation, drawing a deep breath and crossing himself before being welcomed by Manuel Ugarte and Ruben Amorim.
On this particular day, there were more youngsters involved than senior members of the squad but Joshua Zirkzee greeted his colleague with a bear hug, lifting him off the ground with a clear sign of his enthusiasm to see our no.6 back among things.
And he was at the centre of everything, having words of encouragement and advice for the others taking part and clearly slotting right back into the environment he knows best.
This felt like a perfect way to ease him back and allow the World Cup winner the chance to start regaining the feel for the ball again.
After more gradual integration, including over the weekend, a big step was taken on Thursday.
In the session, with the numbers swelled by a sizeable contingent from the Academy, in addition to the first team, he walked out to limber up with another broad smile on his face.
A handshake and hug with head coach Amorim followed, before he made his way into a group of five, formed in a circle and keeping the ball off the ground. Fellow South Americans Casemiro and Ugarte were there, along with Diogo Dalot and Benjamin Sesko.
In the late October sun, there was a positive vibe throughout, strengthened by the run of three successive wins, but our eyes were focused primarily on Licha. The defender is certainly a big presence and an experienced figure.
As one of the natural leaders, he helps sets the standards and was first tasked with a role in a game played with small goals. Martinez played deep, protecting and shielding the tiny target as the last man.
There was a familiar sense of his controlled, calm passing ability, with both feet, as he lined up with Leny Yoro and one moment where he sprung forward to hunt the ball like we have seen so often since he joined from Ajax.
Encouraged by Ruben and the coaches, he exuded authority and was again influential when moving to a bigger-sided game, helping dictate matters and bring assurance to the backline.
There was one nice ball threaded through to Bruno Fernandes which showed the connections and chemistry remains, and plenty of other evidence of his qualities.
We know Licha is a warrior and will be relishing and embracing this latest challenge. When asked if he was feeling good after the session, his reply in the affirmative was music to everybody's ears and we cannot wait to see him out on the pitch in that red shirt again.