Ashley Young believes Juan Mata's arrival has taken competition for places to another level at Manchester United as the English champions prepare to visit Stoke.
Mata, who joined from Premier League rivals Chelsea for £37.1 million ($61.2 million, 44.8 million euros) earlier this month, made his debut for United in the 2-0 win over Cardiff on Tuesday.
That match saw Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney return from injury lay-offs, and both will be in contention for a place at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday.
It would mean United's star strikers starting together for just the eighth time in 24 Premier League matches this season. The availability of the three players means other places in the front four are sure to be squeezed.
England winger Young, who will be battling with Adnan Januzaj, Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck for the last spot in manager David Moyes's strongest side, said: "You have to be on the ball. You have to put in big performances every week. We have a big squad and we can rotate the team.
"When you are playing well, getting goals and assists, you are there in the manager's thoughts," added the 28-year-old, who scored United's second goal against Cardiff following Dutch striker van Persie's sixth-minute opener at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
"We have competition for places and that keeps you on your toes. You want to keep playing well and training well, because that is the only way to keep yourself in the team," Young explained.
"Robin is a goalscorer. You put him in the box and he will score, and he has done that again.
"There will be a lot of talk about Juan's arrival and the fact that we have broken the transfer record for him, but he looks like he has been here for years.
"It was his first game but he has gelled straight away with the way we play. He is going to add something special to the squad."
But Saturday's game is likely to come too soon for Marouane Fellaini, who has been absent since December with a wrist injury, while fellow United midfielder Michael Carrick is also set to miss out with an ankle problem.
Winger Nani has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since December 7 and is unlikely to return against former United striker Mark Hughes's Stoke side.
Despite beating Cardiff, United are still 13 points behind leaders and local rivals Manchester City and six adrift of the fourth Champions League spot currently occupied by bitter foes Liverpool.
United's latest trip to the Britannia Stadium, where they have won five and drawn one of their six previous visits, comes with Stoke just three points above the relegation zone after a midweek 1-0 loss to Sunderland.
The Potters have lost their last three matches, all by a 1-0 scoreline, and face a difficult schedule with games against United and Manchester City in the weeks ahead.
But Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic said: "It's so tight but there's no panicking around the club.
"The manager (Hughes) is dealing really well with it. He's praised everyone and just wants us to keep our heads up."
Bosnia international Begovic added: "We're not getting the luck that we deserve at the moment. As long as we stick together, though, and keep doing the right things, we believe we can progress up the table.
"We're definitely not panicking, we're just going to try and keep performing."
Stoke midfielder Steven Nzonzi is suspended after his red card in the defeat at the Stadium of Light but German defender Robert Huth could return following a knee injury.
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is facing a major post-season rebuilding process after admitting defeat in his attempts to sign France international Clement Grenier in the January transfer window.
Lyon are holding out for more than the Premier League club's £9 million ($15m, 11m euros) bid for the 23-year-old, who they want to fill the void left by Yohan Cabaye, following the midfielder's high-profile £19 million move to Paris St Germain.
A downbeat Pardew held out little hope of an immediate addition to the arrival of Borussia Monchengladbach loan forward Luuk de Jong, the Dutchman who is set for a place on the bench as Newcastle host local rivals Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby on Saturday.
With the transfer window closing on January 31, Pardew's focus on squad-strengthening has already shifted to the summer, where he hopes to be able to invest the money received for Cabaye into shaping the third 'version' of his Newcastle side since taking charge at the end of 2010.
"Having this team with Yohan in the number 10 role was the way I like to play," Pardew said.
"Targeting Grenier is also around that theme of a team that can pass the ball quickly and work between the lines. That's what I'm going to aim for in the summer."
The latest Tyne-Wear derby has been almost an afterthought, with both clubs experiencing hectic spells in the final week of the window.
Nevertheless, with Newcastle eighth in the top flight and Sunderland in 17th place, two points above the relegation zone, there is more than just local pride to play for at St James' Park this weekend.
But the hosts will be without 11-goal top scorer Loic Remy after they failed with an appeal to get the Frenchman's red card received in the midweek goalless draw against Norwich overturned.
Papiss Cisse, the Senegal forward, is rated 50-50 due to a back problem, but Yoan Gouffran is again sidelined through injury.
Sunderland made Argentinian Ignacio Scocco their fourth signing this month after the forward joined from Brazilian club Internacional in a £3 million deal.
This weekend's match could be his first taste of one of English football's most raucous derbies, with Sunderland going in search of their third succesive win over Newcastle.
A late goal from Italian forward Fabio Borini sealed a 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, and Newcastle are still smarting from the 3-0 home defeat inflicted by their local rivals last April.
Sunderland's Adam Johnson found the net in that stand-out win under former head coach Paolo Di Canio, and the England midfielder said: "There will be a few (Newcastle) players wanting to get one over us after what happened last year.
"There'll be a hostile reception for us, but it's all part of the game and it's what you play for... I wouldn't have it any other way."
Johnson has played a major role in Sunderland securing a place in the League Cup final thanks to a run of just two defeats in 13 games that has also seen them climb out of the Premier League bottom three for the first time in five months.
He has scored five goals in his last three league games, including the only goal in the midweek victory over Stoke City.
"I'm in a bit of good form right now and I hope it continues," Johnson said. "I honestly haven't changed anything or done anything differently at all.
"I've always been confident in myself but things just weren't coming off for me. I've just kept working hard. You don't turn into a bad player overnight and thankfully my best form's returned."
