Adam Bate reports on Benfica's Anderson Talisca, the Brazilian star hailed by Jose Mourinho - and tracked by Arsene Wenger and Brendan Rodgers.
There is a line in The Nowhere Men, Michael Calvin's award-winning look at the world of football scouts, where Brentford boss Mark Warburton sums up how quickly a player can reveal his quality.
"As a scout, there are things that just grab your attention," says Warburton. "It might just be a first touch. It might be a little turn of pace or an unusual type of pass."
Against Monaco on Tuesday night, Benfica's Anderson Talisca showcased all three before going on to score the only goal of the game to keep his team's Champions League hopes alive.
It wasn't the complete performance. There were signs of clumsiness at times, and that rawness that can come with youth was evident. But if scouts rely on moments then Talisca certainly delivers them - he's now scored nine goals in his last 10 games.
And they're not just any scouts tracking Talisca. Reports suggest Brendan Rodgers and Arsene Wenger have both watched the Brazilian in action on multiple occasions.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, claims the 20-year-old was already the talk of Europe even before making the summer switch to Lisbon from Bahia in his homeland.
"I think Benfica hired well," he told Portuguese TV station TVI24 in September. "They say Talisca is unknown, but he is only so unknown because he's not playing in England - and that's because he doesn't have a work permit. If he had one, he would be here.
"There were many English teams, great and important teams, that wanted him. There were even those who wanted to sign him, despite the fact that he could not play for now.
"They wanted to sign him, put him in a minor league and hope that eventually he came to be capped and would consequently then get the work permit."
Anderson Talisca's goal came from his only touch in the box with much of his work done in midfield
It's easy to see why Talisca has captured the imagination.
He's an unusual player. Operating off the striker, he's not a typical No.10. At 6'2" he's uncharacteristically tall for someone playing in the hole and superficially resembles a target man.
But when the ball arrives, he's a very different proposition.
There was the powerful run with the ball in the opening minutes that was complemented by a measured through-ball to set up Enzo Perez for a chance that the Argentine dragged wide when he should have done better.
There was a sweeping crossfield pass with his left foot and a first time back-flick to put Eduardo Salvio through on goal thanks to a lightning fast one-two.
And all inside the first quarter of an hour. The Opta data shows that Talisca created more chances than anyone else on the pitch - and he had plenty of efforts of his own too.
In the second half, Talisca forced a good save from Danijel Subasic with a long-range effort struck from similar territory to the one that stunned Rio Ave in the Estadio da Luz at the weekend.
But he was not to be denied. Inside the final 10 minutes, he found space to get on the end of Derley's near-post header from a corner and score his first ever Champions League goal. It's likely to be the first of many.
Indeed, despite Mourinho's insinuation of omniscience, it's been a remarkable rise for Talisca. As recently as February, then Bahia coach Marquinhos Santos was restricting him to a substitute role - much to the annoyance of the crowd.
It was only when the coach hit upon his best role that the player began to flourish.
"He told me he likes to play close to the opposition goal," said Marquinhos Santos. "But within the penalty area is not the best position for him. However, if he is allowed to float around without defensive responsibilities then his talent emerges."
Senior recognition?
By June, the coach was admitting that Talisca had become a "major player" for the team. He's now a major player for Benfica - voted the best in the country for August and September and out on his own as the current top scorer in the Portuguese top flight with eight goals.
Senior international recognition with Brazil might not be far away either.
Talisca was part of the Under-20 squad that won the Toulon Tournament in 2013 and just as he had with Marquinhos Santos - "he is dedicated and is always one of the last to leave practice" - he impressed with his attitude.
Brazil's coach in Toulon, Alexander Gallo, described Talisca as "a very quiet boy" who caused no problems and has since progressed him to the Under-21 squad that will eventually form the backbone of the Selecao's bid for long overdue Olympic glory in Rio.
As a result, it might not be too long before Talisca begins to get those caps Mourinho was talking about. When that happens, it won't need a scout to spot the obvious: Talisca is destined for big things.
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