Portugal vs Morocco: Why Manchester United were right not to pursue Cedric Soares - scouting report

United showed an interest in Cedric, but Jose Mourinho was right to give the right-back a miss

In a bleak season, Cedric Soares was one of a few players to stand out for Southampton who dodged relegation from the Premier League with a game to spare. His resolute defending and adventurous personality in the final third had attracted interest from Manchester United, with Jose Mourinho reported to be a keen admirer of the Portugal right-back.

Cedric was a bit-part player in Portugal’s European Championship triumph in 2016 but was a regular starter in their World Cup qualifying campaign, and pipped Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo for a place in Fernando Santos’ final squad.

Portugal’s back line were given a tough evening by Spain in the epic 3-3 draw in their opening game of Group B, but Morocco proposed a different threat on the counter attack.

Cedric’s heart will have been in his mouth when he let Medhi Benatia slip free of his grip when defending a corner, but had his goalkeeper to thank for sparing his blushes. The Juventus defender shifted clear of Cedirc and got a free head to the ball, forcing a save from Rui Patricio after heading low towards the bottom corner from close range.

Chaos ensued around him but Cedric quickly found his composure after a shaky start. Portugal were pushing Morocco high up the pitch which left plenty of space for the African side to play behind their defence.

When called upon Cedric was disciplined with his positioning but did not always came off best when tackling one-on-one, although he was not helped Bernardo Silva’s negligent tracking back.

Ronaldo's goal was enough to give Portugal the win (EPA)

Much in tune with Portugal’s game plan, Cedric was quick and accurate with his early forward passes, often in the direction of Cristiano Ronaldo, and kept the ball ticking over as Portugal held their lead.

While Cedric did not necessarily have a bad game it was nothing eye-catching, and suggests his limit is far below what might be expected of him at a larger club like Manchester United. His sense of attacking adventure ended with sheepish passes to a teammate, and, while his defensive positioning was often precise, his tackling technique falls short of the reliability a top side requires.

United’s acquisition of Porto’s 19-year-old Diogo Dalot means Cedric is likely to begin a fourth season on the south coast, and Mark Hughes may be wise to consider building a team around his full backs.

In Ryan Bertrand and Cedric, the Saints have a very competitive pair of full backs who could provide attacking power on the wings in the absence of quality wide players. Both men have the physical and technical attributes to successfully command their respective flanks defensively and pose an attacking threat.

Hughes faces the task of rebuilding a squad short on confidence, and where better place to start than with a sturdy back line. Cedric is a great player to start building a team around at Southampton, and only Southampton.