While Gauld badly needs return ticket to stardom
Scottish wonderkids past and present have been back on the agenda of late. Billy Gilmour has boldly declared his intention to become the best player in the world, while Fraser hornby is earning rave reviews at Under-21 level and Jack harper is enjoying a resurgence at Malaga.
But while their names appeared in the headlines as the scottish senior and age-group teams reconvened for the international break, some of the tartan Army may have been wondering: whatever happened to Ryan Gauld?
While chelsea midfielder Gilmour won his fifth scottish Under-21 cap this week despite only having turned 17 in June, Gauld is no longer eligible for scot Gemmill’s side, having earned the last of his 11 caps in 2016. in fact, it has been that long since Gauld’s name has cropped up that his fledgling career needs a recap, even to those who have heard of him before. the diminutive attacking midfielder — 5ft 6in, left-footed and with a low centre of gravity, earning him the nickname the ‘scottish Messi’ — made his debut for Dundee United aged just 16 in May 2012.
two years later, he was finishing a breakthrough season that made Europe’s top clubs sit up and take notice, netting eight goals in 38 games for the tangerines in scotland’s top flight.
Whether he would be a success was not in question, it was just a matter of where. so a few eyebrows were raised when sporting Lisbon signed the Aberdeen-born teenager for £3million on a six-year contract with a whopping €60m release clause.
But hearing Gauld speak at the time, you could understand his logic.
‘sporting have got a good track record with really good, young players — Luis Figo, cristiano Ronaldo and Nani all came from here — so i knew they must have the coaches to develop world-class players,’ he said.
the early signs were promising. Marco silva — now Everton manager — was impressed enough to name Gauld in his 25-man champions League squad straight away, despite the scot being earmarked for a season with sporting’s B side in Portugal’s second tier while he got to grips with the language and culture.
By the end of the season, Gauld, now 19, had played five first-team games, scoring two goals and making one — and looked set to be integrated further into the first-team picture, with silva a big fan.
But then silva left for olympiakos in the summer of 2015 and Gauld’s career went into decline.
Jorge Jesus took the reins from silva and another full season with the B team followed, but this time with no European call-up and no cup appearances, despite some impressive form for the reserves.
in July 2016, Gauld would finally get his first taste of Portuguese top-flight action with a loan move to Vitoria setubal, but he made just five appearances before being recalled to play for the B team yet again in January 2017.
he was also in and out of the side on loan at struggling Aves last season, for whom he scored just once in 23 outings in all competitions. the scottish top flight may not be the strongest league but it is not a million miles from the level of Portugal’s. Yet here was Gauld struggling to make an impact at a level not much greater than the one he had torn apart as an 18-year-old.
Jesus left a club in turmoil this summer after fans attacked sporting’s players at training, prompting several internationals to tear up their contracts. But Gauld is so far from first-team thoughts now that not only did new manager Jose Peseiro not want him in his squad, but the best loan Gauld could get was to second-tier Farense, on deadline day with his 23rd birthday fast approaching.
New Rangers manager steven Gerrard was asked if he was interested in Gauld last month but flatly dismissed the links. if he was playing at anywhere near his potential, Gerrard would surely have snapped sporting’s hands off.
As it is, sporting appear to be letting his contract — which expires in summer 2020 — run down, by which time he will be 24. What a contrast with his former flat-mate at Dundee United, Andy Robertson, who has enjoyed a rapid rise to become a Liverpool regular and scotland captain.
in fact, scotland’s win over Albania was like a Dundee United reunion, with Robertson, Johnny Russell, John souttar and stuart Armstrong all taking part, with only Gauld missing from the tannadice golden generation of 2013.
‘We just need Gauldy (Ryan Gauld) there but, hopefully, one day,’ smiled souttar.
‘i’m sure it will come for him. he was probably the best one out of the lot of us at the time.
‘it’s just like the old days at tannadice. it’s not so long ago. it’s brilliant to have familiar faces.’
speaking to Sportsmail in March, Gauld still appeared happy to wait for his chance.
‘i knew it would not happen straight away,’ he said. ‘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 more mature person.’
You have to admire his optimism but it must be starting to wear thin.
one player he can take inspiration from is fellow scot harper, who is also approaching his 23rd birthday, in February. having failed to make the grade at both Real Madrid and Brighton despite a star billing as a teenager, harper is enjoying life away from the spotlight in spain’s second tier at Malaga, where he is emerging as a key man in their bid for an immediate return to La Liga. Perhaps Gauld can do the same in another iberian second tier. Who knows, maybe he will end up working with silva again one day.