Sporting Clube de Portugal are famous for their prolific youth academy, but William Carvalho is proof that they’re branching out from star wingers after Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo & Co. The 21-year-old is an imposing defensive midfielder, and has made a huge impact in Lisbon after returning from an extended loan spell at Cercle Brugge.

The biggest tribute that one can pay to Carvalho’s character and responsible nature is repeating the circumstances of his Portugal debut. He came on for Raul Meireles in the World Cup play-off second leg against Sweden in November, with Portugal having just gone 2-1 down and facing a baying Stockholm crowd. Carvalho adapted with admirable sangfroid, helping to batten down the hatches as Ronaldo led Portugal home. His full debut, against Cameroon in March, was less a reward than an inevitability. Paulo Bento is pleased that Porto’s Fernando finally has a Portuguese passport but the sense is that with Carvalho’s emergence, he may not need him.

Manchester United have been scouting Carvalho to the point of stalking, and his pedigree is such that the mooted fee in any transaction (somewhere north of £30m) seems like common sense rather than a fanciful demand by Sporting. Bento is a creature of habit, but it wouldn’t be unsurprising to see him take a chance on Carvalho by starting him for the World Cup opener against Germany