The path from Tannadice to Estádio José Alvalade is not frequently trodden but Ryan Gauld is already showing signs that unlike other youngsters who have made early moves abroad, he will not have to make the return journey any time soon. Gauld, the 19-year-old playmaker whose move to Sporting Lisbon last summer was accompanied by the Mini Messi tag that he was saddled with at Dundee United, has worked his way into the Portuguese side’s first-team setup in recent weeks and stands a chance of featuring in perhaps their most important match of the season, the visit to Porto on Sunday.
There are clear risks in moving from one football culture to another and being eased in via a club’s B side. The story of Dale Jennings, who moved from Tranmere to Bayern Munich at the age of 18 in 2011 and now finds himself in and out of Barnsley’s starting 11 in League One, is a case in point. But Gauld has taken to first-team football with aplomb, scoring twice in a cup match against Belenenses in January and making his second league appearance during last Sunday’s win over Gil Vicente.
“I have definitely made good progress in recent months,” he says. “To begin with it was always going to be about adapting to Portuguese football. That was obviously going to take some time because there is a big difference here compared to Scottish football.
“I have to keep pushing and hope I have a few more games under my belt by the end of the season. Lately I have been more involved with the A team. However, if I am not needed for one of the games I can still go and play with the B team to get minutes under my belt. The most important thing is that I am not just sitting rotting away.”
Gauld was speaking before this weekend’s fixture, which will be broadcast live on BT Sport, and the timing of his recent emergence may have been favourable. Sporting, who include an in-form Nani in their ranks, trail Porto and the leaders, Benfica, in the Primeira Liga and require three points to stay in touch. Even if from the bench, the wit and quick feet of Gauld may be usefully deployed by Marco Silva, the Sporting coach.
“If we could get the win at Porto, it would put them under pressure,” Gauld says. “We would be breathing down their necks and they will still be thinking of trying to catch Benfica, so we are all trying to push each other and make each other collapse a wee bit.
“We are going out for the win in every game and expecting to win. We are an attacking side and that is exciting for me because [to be part of] the attacking side is better for me than the defending side.”
Gauld was called up for Scotland’s October fixtures against Georgia and Poland but did not feature for Gordon Strachan’s upwardly mobile team. There was no repeat summons for the games against Ireland and England but the player hopes one on-pitch breakthrough can lead to another next month.
“At the time that was very beneficial to [Strachan] and me. It was good for me to know that what I was doing over here was being acknowledged by the national manager. Obviously, there was disappointment [not to be called up again] because I had been there once and wanted to be a part of it again. I think that is quite natural.
“If I am called up for the next squad I would maybe like to get on to the bench for one of the games and get a couple of minutes. That would be the target for me before too long.”
There is not too much time to pine for home, though, and Gauld, whose level of immersion in Portuguese life has been praised by his team-mates, has developed a particular taste for the country’s culinary offerings.
“The food is brilliant and it is cheap so I am sorted. They do a good selection of steaks over here. You get all different sorts and I am still experimenting to see which one is the best.”
Should player and club make an impression on one another to the extent that he fulfils the six-year contract he signed last July, there will be plenty of time to complete that assessment.
Porto v Sporting Lisbon is live on ESPN at 7.15pm this Sunday. BT Sport has live games from the Europa League, Portugal’s Primeira Liga Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A
