Whatever happened to the likely lad?

He’s fluent in Portuguese and thinking about dual citizenship, but Gauld is still aiming for the top

IT was a side made up purely of flat mates. There were four of them and they played almost every afternoon down the park. ‘I suppose we weren’t bad,’ says Ryan Gauld with a chuckle. ‘We certainly seemed to win a lot. The games were against other youth-team players. We all chipped in and bought a pair of seven-a-side goals and chucked them up after training. We couldn’t get enough of football.’

The scene was Riverside Park, Dundee. The players were all from Dundee United. The Gauld flat four was completed by his fellow room-mates Andrew Robertson, John Souttar and Joe McGovern.

So whatever happened to the likely lads? The answer is straightforward in regards to Robertson and Souttar, the former now playing for Liverpool, the latter making significant strides at Hearts. McGovern, the Cowdenbeath goalkeeper, is recovering from a serious knee injury.

The precise whereabouts and form of Gauld require a more detailed, even complex answer. He is four years into his six-year contract at Sporting Lisbon and is trying to force his way back into the team at CD Aves, where he is on loan.

A back injury, a hamstring pull and a change of managers have all conspired to restrict his playing time this season but he is gradually being integrated into a side that should avoid relegation from the Primeira Liga.

That, then, is the brief summary. The most significant factor for those beguiled by Gauld in his spell at Dundee United is the growth of the slight, almost fragile boy from Laurencekirk into a lean, determined continental footballer.

The most obvious signs of this change can be measured. At 5ft 7in, the 22-year-old is two inches taller than when at United and while at 10st 7lbs he may not yet be a threat to Anthony Joshua, he is a stone heavier than when in Scotland.

‘I have worked hard at this,’ he says. ‘It is not about muscle mass but becoming stronger in an athletic sense. I have done that and I continue to work on it.’

His game has improved, too. ‘Mainly, I have developed defensively,’ he adds. ‘I was just 17, 18 when I came here but my defensive knowledge is much bigger. Tactically, I am more sure of my positioning. You have to be capable of that in Portugal before getting a game.’

However, he says: ‘I like to think of myself as that boy who is capable of taking people on, making chances, chipping in with a few goals. That won’t change.’

The mind drifts back beyond Riverside Park to Ibrox Park of April 2014 when in shimmering moments under a spring sun Gauld showed his extraordinary ability, particularly in the assist for the second United goal in a 3-1 victory over Rangers in a Scottish Cup semi-final.

A nutmeg of Richard Foster and a precise cutback from the byeline enabled Gary Mackay-Steven to score in the standout moment of the match.

‘My job is to create opportunities for the team and I did that. We were good that day because there was rivalry between United and Rangers and they were out to prove a point but we did what we went there to do,’ he says.

‘The first five minutes was the loudest crowd I had played in front of and I couldn’t quite believe it but we scored a couple of first-half goals and silenced it.’

It was the sort of performance that alerted others to his potential. Three months later, he was signing for Sporting Club de Portugal in a deal believed to be worth £3million.

Two months after that, he was included in Gordon Strachan’s squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Georgia and Poland, though he did not play in either.

The major, life-defining decision was to decline offers from England in favour of Lisbon.

‘I accept there may not be a high number of Scots that would want to try playing abroad,’ says Gauld. ‘But from a young age I was watching continental football — mostly Spanish, Italian — and it was my aim to move abroad. I wanted to see what it was like.

‘When the opportunity came, I had no second thoughts. It just felt right.’

He is not dismayed by his struggle to break into the Sporting team, with loan periods at Vitoria De Setubal and now CD Aves.

‘I knew it would not happen straight away. It was a six-year contract and it was about patience. I felt the longer I stuck it out, the better it was going to be. I still feel that. I know I m a better player and a more mature person,’ he says.

The progress of his flatmates does not produce envy or even inspiration, saying: ‘I am happy for Andy and John, of course. But my motivation is personal. I want to be a better player for myself, not to match what others do.’

Robertson, though, provides an example of how quickly a career can change. As Sportsmail revealed, Robertson knocked on the door of Jurgen Klopp in October, anxious to know what he could do to force his way into the German’s team. Five months on and the 24-year-old is a darling of Klopp and Kop and a fixture in the Scotland side.

‘Unbelievable. What a rise,’ Gauld says of the ascent of his former flatmate. ‘It’s a credit to Andy. He wasn’t involved at first as he might have wanted but he worked hard and now the Kop is singing his name.

‘I watched him when Porto played Liverpool in the Champions league. He got a couple of tickets for me and my mates. I am pleased for him. He takes everything in his stride but always put in the effort.’

Souttar, too, is on the rise. Gauld notes: ‘I was a bit shocked he was not in the senior squad because his form this season made him a certainty for me. But it’ll come. He and (Christophe) Berra look solid at Hearts.’

Gauld, then, is aware that apparent overnight success comes after years of hard toil. ‘You never know when your chance might come and you have to be ready for it. I never do just enough to get by. I always push myself,’ he says.

‘But I feel I have progressed well since coming to Portugal. There may not be the game time to quite show it but I believe I am a much better player, better off for being here rather than staying at home.’

If he stays on in Portugal after the summer, he would be eligible for dual nationality. He may take up that option. ‘Apart from anything else, it may be handy as Britain leaves the EU,’ he explains.

His heart, though, belongs to Scotland even though his life is devoted to progressing in Portugal.

‘It is every boy’s dream to play for the national team and I have been honoured to represent Scotland from Under-16s all the way through,’ he says.

He has, though, immense affection for Portugal. ‘I love it here. I speak the language fluently now and it is funny that it is the little things you appreciate. I have developed a love of espresso. It costs about £2 in Scotland but it is about 40p a shot in the cafes over here and I am throwing them down every day,’ he says.

Gauld knows there has been more substantial gifts from his decision than a strong coffee.

‘I had to grow up quickly,’ he admits. ‘In Scotland or England, it would have been easy enough but I had to learn a new language and a new culture. It made me.

The flat is now shared by his girlfriend who has moved over since graduating. But he still recalls the days in Dundee when playing was fun and the world was at a set of talented feet.

‘Those were great times,’ he says. ‘But I believe my best days are in front of me. I am stronger, better than I was, but I need an opportunity.

‘It is all about patience but that can be hard. I will give everything to succeed here. I just want to play.’

The boy has grown into a young man but the joy and game time of Riverside Park may yet be found in Lisbon.

I believe I am better off for being here rather than staying at home