World Cup 2018 scouting report: William Carvalho chases Isco shadow but shows glimpse of Premier League quality

Carvalho's club Sporting are in chaos right now, with Carvalho one of a number of players to have rescinded their contracts, and he is searching for a new club

In the centre of this blustering World Cup match, William Carvalho could be seen loping gamely after the twinkling feet of Isco. This was exactly the sort of game in which a defensive midfielder such as Carvalho was required; it was also the sort of game which blew right past him and left him barely necessary.

It didn’t start that way. No one touched the ball as many times as Carvalho in the opening three minutes, as he drifted across the pitch in the quarter-back slot keeping Portugal ticking, and keeping the pressure high, until Cristiano Ronaldo drew the early penalty which put Portugal in front.

Thereafter the Spanish carousel began to dominate the ball. Isco made a resounding case for why Julen Lopetegui should build his Real Madrid midfield around the 26-year-old, Andres Iniesta drifted and floated in spaces between red shirts, while Sergio Busquets stood and passed and passed some more.

Carvalho is one of those players who could put himself in the shop window during this tournament, and he showed glimpses of what has made him such a key player at Sporting. His simple passing helped Portugal retain the ball in tight spots and move upfield. A sharp switch of play launched a first-half counter-attack which eventually dwindled to nothing, and back he went.

As the match wore on and Spain created more, Carvalho became harder to spot. When Diego Costa fired several shots away in the second half, Portugal’s water-carrier splashed on to the scene a little too late.

His club Sporting are in chaos right now, with Carvalho one of a number of players to have rescinded their contracts over a training ground assault by some of the club’s ultra supporters. It means he is likely to be playing somewhere new in August, with West Ham one of those clubs linked after going close to a deal last summer.

This was perhaps not the game in which to judge the midfielder’s qualities – he will not be playing against this kind of midfield every week – but it showed that he is not the kind of player to be parachuted in and shut down some of the Premier League's premium midfield players. Carvalho's best moments came when his team needed a steadying presence in possession; those chances will come against Morocco and Iran.