Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O'Neil is hoping Afonso Alves' arrival at the Riverside Stadium can spark a new drive for success.
Boro smashed their transfer record when they handed over in excess of £12million to Heerenveen for their free-scoring striker last month.
The 27-year-old Brazilian is yet to start a game for the Teessiders as he works to regain full match fitness, but will hope for further action in Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Liverpool.
Manager Gareth Southgate has invested huge faith in a man who scored 49 goals is as many appearances for his last club, and O'Neil is confident his recruitment will plug a major gap in the squad.
The 24-year-old said: "With Mido being out for so long, we were heavily relying on the two lads we had up front - Tuncay and Jeremie Aliadiere - and if either of them got a knock, we were going to be struggling.
"Tuncay picking up his hamstring injury meant we were short, so it was fantastic to manage to get a player of Alves' quality in - and we hope we can get him fit as soon as possible."
Mido made his first start since October in last weekend's 0-0 FA Cup fifth-round draw at Sheffield United after a troublesome pubic bone injury.
The Egypt international is understandably short of fitness - but in his absence, Boro have been indebted to the efforts of fellow summer recruit Aliadiere.
The 24-year-old Frenchman has scored twice in his last four games to cap a string of fine individual performances, although his earlier efforts had not gone unnoticed by his team-mates.
O'Neil said: "He has been fantastic since I have been here. He maybe doesn't get the credit he deserves, because he wasn't scoring earlier on on the season.
"But the work he gives you makes it so much easier for people like me, because he makes such good runs and works so hard that he is so easy to find."
Boro head for Anfield, knowing they will have their work cut out after seeing Liverpool secure a 2-0 Champions League victory over Inter Milan in midweek.
However, the Reds' patchy form - they were dumped out of the FA Cup at home to Championship Barnsley last weekend - coupled with their own impressive run on the road gives cause for optimism.
The Teessiders have won four and drawn five of their last 10 away games, and that has provided the foundation for their progress in both the league and the cup.
O'Neil said: "We have been very, very solid away from home - Robert Huth coming in has helped that. He is very solid at the back for us.
"We have been really solid away from home, and that has been the base for turning around our season."
Huth missed the game at Bramall Lane with a foot problem but could return at Anfield, while David Wheater is available tomorrow - before sitting out the replay against the Blades through suspension.
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