Sandro Ramirez has had a rough few years. After battling his way into the reckoning for Spain’s Under-21 European Championship campaign in 2017 and choosing to leave Barcelona to carve out his own path in football, the reality has been far tougher than he would have envisaged.
His tally of 14 league goals for Malaga in 2016/17 convinced Everton to take a chance on the young Spaniard, but a grey spell at Goodison, as well as barren loans at both Sevilla and Real Sociedad, left the now-24-year-old in limbo.
Not deemed good enough for a top side, he returned to modest surroundings at Real Valladolid, who may now have Ronaldo as club president but have yet to spend significant money in the transfer market.
Manager Sergio broadly opts for a diligent and organised 4-4-2 system, where Sandro is one of his two hardworking forwards alongside either Sergi Guardiola or Enes Unal.
With his chosen partner the main focal point if the ball is pumped forward, Sandro is the busy, speedy option that can be used to stretch defences and threaten to get in behind.
As Real Valladolid are not afraid to sit in and absorb pressure before using their wide men or front two to get them upfield quickly, Sandro is a dynamic part of that mechanism.
Of late, too, he has shown some capability in linking things together in an attacking midfield role behind a front two.
His tireless running and good movement off the shoulder of the last defender allows him to sniff out opportunities in behind, but his side’s average of around 10 shots on goal per game highlights their collective lack of a cutting edge.
There was method behind the gamble of signing Hatem Ben Arfa in the winter transfer window and some tactical experiments featuring Sandro behind a front two.
Three goals and one assist in 19 appearances certainly isn’t a barnstorming season for the forward, but he plays a demanding role for a team trying to keep the relegation battle at arm’s length.
And despite his low numbers in front of goal, Sandro does offer something different when dropping off a number nine.
Against Real Mallorca in November, he scored his first competitive goal in 710 days. His last had arrived in the Europa League while at Everton in 2017.
A sense of relief accompanied it, as well as plenty of congratulations from his team-mates in the dressing room at full-time. Those who line up alongside him see how hard he works for his team.
It is unlikely Sandro will ever be entrusted with an important role at Everton, but his loan spell at Real Valladolid will guarantee some interest from his country of birth when the next transfer window rolls around.
At Malaga, he proved himself to be vital for a team trying to escape relegation, while at Real Valladolid he has shown he can roll his sleeves up, work as a functional part of a unit and offer some flashes of real quality.
He may no longer be the young striker with the Barcelona pedigree, but Sandro provides intensity and hard work, and in a more creative team the goals could begin to flow for him again.
Three goals in his last seven games for Real Valladolid,even accepting his abysmal figures over the last two years, show he might just be finding his groove in Spain once again.
