Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce says Gabby Agbonlahor's timely derby winner against Birmingham City may help earn the striker a surprise new deal.
The 30-year-old scored his first goal for 14 months in Sunday's 1-0 victory.
Agbonlahor started 2016-17 seeing out the final year of his contract as a virtual outsider but was brought back into the fold by Bruce in October.
"When you bring someone in from the cold, if that's what it was, he has to react as well," Bruce told BBC Sport.
"Gabby was walking in the car park on my first day ready to join in with the 17-year-olds.