REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
January 4th 2017. Tottenham had just ended champions-elect Chelsea's then record-breaking 13-match winning streak with one of the best team performances White Hart Lane had seen in many years.
Kane was tireless, Alli scored the goals, the midfield was imperious, and the wing-backs were sublime. Danny Rose was sublime.
Rose was in the form of his life and, coupled with Kyle Walker on the other side, was fast becoming part of one of the most feared double acts in the league. Teams couldn't handle Tottenham's pace or the dynamism of their 3-4-2-1 formation.
Fast-forward 17 months and most believe that Danny Rose, along with Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele, will leave Tottenham this summer with the club most touted to secure his signature for a reported £40 million being Everton.
So how has it come to this?
A nightmare
Rose limped out of Tottenham's 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light on January 31st 2017. By the time he was seen again, eight months later, much had changed.
His partner in crime Kyle Walker was gone, Ben Davies was in the form of his life and Rose just could not get a run of games together to find his best level.
He now goes to the 2018 World Cup with England having played in just ten Premier League games in 2017-18, having not looked convincing at all.
Nonsensical
In many respects, the aforementioned potential £40 million transfer to Everton just doesn't make sense.
Rose burned his bridges with some Tottenham fans with the ill-advised interview he gave to a national tabloid newspaper whilst injured in August 2017, but many still support him and chant his name whenever he wears the lily-white of Spurs.
Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
The fact is, Danny Rose really struggled to find anything close to resembling his best form following his return from the knee injury.
It's understandable. He was injured for a very long time and Mauricio Pochettino's rotation policy for his full-backs has made it very difficult for Rose to build up a head of steam.
It's no coincidence that Ben Davies has played his best football whilst given a regular run of games and Rose could do with something similar.
A risk for both parties
What made Danny Rose the best left back in the league was his pace, physicality, his ability to cause his opposite number havoc, whilst staying solid and committed at the other end.
If Everton were to buy that version of Danny Rose, in this market £40 million would be a bargain, especially considering one year ago Walker went for over £50 million and Rose was every bit as good.
If it was that version of Danny Rose, selling would be a big mistake for Tottenham, as a replacement of similar ilk would be hard to come by.
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
But by the same token, the post-injury Danny Rose was nowhere near that player. He wasn't as quick. He didn't have the same stamina to get back after those trademark bursts forward. His final ball had regressed and he just couldn't gather any momentum.
If Everton were to spend all that money on a player performing like that, it would be a huge waste of funds.
If Mauricio Pochettino doesn't believe that Danny Rose can ever get back to his prior level then Tottenham should sell, but it's a big call for the Tottenham hierarchy to make.
Would he actually leave?
And then there's the party we haven't yet considered: the player himself.
Although Danny Rose defiantly stated he'd play up north someday and get paid what he's worth, surely as an ambitious player that has said himself he wants to win things, he wouldn't step down to Everton.
At the end of the season he told the Standard, "I fancy myself against anybody in the league. Pre-season I'll come back and hopefully me and Ben start from scratch and we start again and work hard to nail that number one spot."
That doesn't sound like a player desperate enough to leave to go to Everton. If Manchester United were to come in it might be a different story, but Everton seem to be the only buyer willing to take the risk.
But with possible departures for the likes of Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele Tottenham may decide it's too much of a risk from their side to let another potentially key man go.
What do you think? Should Rose leave? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.