The New Year is barely six weeks old and already has delivered surprises aplenty, from Jurgen Klopp's announcement that he is quitting Liverpool to Maidstone's FA Cup run.

Nothing, though, has made one question whether this whole shebang might not be scripted quite like Neal Maupay's resurgence as a goalscorer. Last Saturday, Maupay played for Brentford in a 2-0 victory over Wolves without finding the target — and that was something of an anomaly.

At the start of November, the Frenchman was in the midst of a 34-game goal drought, yet his blank last time out was his first in six matches.

Indeed, if there is one metric that proves beyond doubt that something has flipped, it is that, beyond Brentford's boundaries, Maupay is a hated species. Kyle Walker, James Maddison and (predictably) Cristian Romero have all been suckered into a ding-dong of sorts with the division's premier wind-up merchant.

The goals to back it all up, though, have been increasingly superb, including a match-winning touch and finish against Nottingham Forest and the more measured slot past one of Europe's best goalkeepers after racing clear against Manchester City.

It is difficult to imagine him scoring either three months ago, and little wonder he wants to make his loan from Everton permanent. Maupay has rediscovered a sense of home and its comforts, having formed a close bond with Brentford Penguins, the club's team for players with Down's Syndrome.

The caveat going into the weekend game against Liverpool, as far as Maupay is concerned, is that his upturn has thus far been only fleeting. At 27, there is enough evidence to suggest he will never be a consistently prolific striker and opportunities to prove otherwise may grow sparser, with Yoane Wissa back from the Africa Cup of Nations and Bryan Mbeumo to return from injury next month as well.

From a career plummeting towards a black abyss, however, stuck in a purple patch is no bad place to be.