BRAZILIAN RAVEHEART
Vieira: Gauld’s my key man in Farense promotion triumph Sporting will know they were wrong not to give him a chance Ryan as good as Samba stars .. he’ll set Scots alight
Sergio Vieira knows a player when he sees one.
When he first watched Marcos Rojo, now at Manchester United, Santiago Arias of Atletico Madrid, PSV star Bruma and Spurs’ Eric Dier, he knew they’d go to the top.
And the self- styled Portuguese Braveheart got the same feeling when he first clapped eyes on Ryan Gauld.
The coach, who is a huge fan of the Mel Gibson movie, also spent three years working in Brazil where there’s a production line of technicallygifted footballers.
But Vieira says the little playmaker from Laurencekirk is better than your average Brazilian.
That’s why he’s tipping him to take the Primeira Liga by storm next season for newly-promoted side SC Farense.
And it’s why he expects Gauld to be gatecrashing Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad before long.
The 24-year-old was instrumental in helping the Algarve club to second spot in Portugal’s second tier – scoring eight goals in the process.
Their promotion to the top f light was conf irmed after the season was prematurely ended due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
Now Gauld is gearing up to face the likes of Benfica, Braga, Porto and his former club Sporting Lisbon.
Vieira has kept an eye on the Scot since he made a sensational £3million move to Sporting from Dundee United back in 2014 and he’s convinced that the Portuguese giants made a huge mistake in not giving Gauld the opportunity to flourish.
In an exclusive interview with MailSport, the Farense head coach said: “When I compare Ryan to the average Brazilian player, I think he has more.
“I know that because I coached in Brazil’s first division for three years.
“I can strongly say that Ryan is a top player even when compared to the best in Brazil.
“I’m pretty sure he’ ll have his chance in the Scottish national team in the near future.
“I’ve worked with some top players such as Dier,
Bruma, Marcos Rojo, Arias and many others.
“I can solidly detect the mental, technical , physical and tactical profile required to be a top player at international level.
“Scotland have some good players in Ryan’s position like Ryan Christie,
John McGinn and Callum McGregor. But I believe as soon as Gauld is given the chance to play for the national side, he will perform well and keep his place in the team.
“Ryan reminds me of a player I worked with at Sporting Braga in 2010/11, Helder Barbosa who now plays in Turkey for Hatayspor.
“I’ve also coached people like Jeffren Suarez who was at Barcelona, Diego Capel who was with Sevilla and Zakaria Labyad who is now at Ajax.
“But Ryan is up there with the best of them.”
Vieira is effusive in his praise of Gauld who has reinvented himself as a central midfielder in his time in Portugal.
With h is chances limited at Sporting he had a previous loan spell at Farense as well as stints at Vitoria Setubal, Aves and Hibs.
But he found a home on his return to Estadio de Sao Luis on a permanent deal last year under the wing of Vieira.
He’s now seen as a leader in the Farense dressing room.
Vieira says Gauld has the full respect of his peers and expects him to light up the Primeira next season – making Sporting Lisbon regret their decision to let him go. He said: “I already knew Ryan from watching him play at Sporting in his first two seasons in Portugal.
“He didn’t play much for the first team but I remember his good games, especially when he was on loan at
Vitor ia Setubal in
Primeira Liga.
“Sadly, he was forced to return to
Sporting in the m idd l e of the season, not giving h im the continuity that he desired.
“He was playing well in the Primeira so it was really a shame that he couldn’t play more games.
“Did he have too much pressure and expectation on his shoulders at Sporting?
“Only Ryan can give the real answer to that.
“But he was the most expensive buy for the club in the season he arrived in Lisbon and that might have added extra pressure.
“He was still very young, only 18 years old, and it was his f irst experience of living outside Scotland
and living away from his family.
“Sporting are a massive club who are always the subject of high pressure to win games.
“Ryan being a young player and having to adjust to the Portuguese game, was always put on the side and he just wasn’t given the chances he deserved.
“I believe, if it was today, Ryan would be playing in Sporting Lisbon’s first XI and a reference point of the team. He can be one of the best players in Primeira Liga next season.
“The feeling will never be announced publicly from Sporting but I know they look at Ryan as a top player.
“They know things should have been handled differently regarding his lack of proper opportunities at the club. “Sporting made a mistake not giving the player a chance, that is a fact.”
Vieira has benefited from that this season, with Gauld playing a pivotal role in Farense’s rise back to the top flight.
He has been impressed by the former Dundee United kid’s personality on the pitch and off it.
And if he continues his current form in Portugal’s top league, the Farense boss expects him to get another crack on an even bigger stage. Vieira explained: “Ryan’s role in our squad was
vital and so important for the performances of the team.
“He has given us fantastic individual quality, played most of every 90 minutes and has been crucial in contributing with assists and goals.
“He’s a great player, technically very developed and, with the ball at his feet, capable of realising actions that only the best players do.
“Ryan has quality in his passing and dribbling and he has now shown he can score goals too.
“There were still 10 games to go when the league stopped so imagine how many he could have scored by the end.
“He’s aggressive and competitive, despite his smaller size, and tactically very intelligent. I feel he’s the complete player and as a person, he’s humble, ambitious and self- determined. He has been easy to deal with, always listening and ready to improve.
“I firmly believe Ryan can play in the best European leagues – and for one of the best clubs in those leagues.”
Meanwhile, Vieira admits he’d love to work in Scotland, inspired by his favourite blockbuster Braveheart and scouting Celtic players.
He’s well versed in Scottish football – having been at SC Braga when the Hoops faced them in the Champions League qualifiers a decade ago – and saw Gibson take on the English as William Wallace at the cinema!
Vieira said: “I really want to work in the UK and I know, at some point in my career, I’ll get there.
“I’m not sure when and where but I’m working hard for that goal to happen one day.
“Ever since I watched the f ilm Braveheart a long time ago, I’ve fallen in love with and have a great admiration for Scotland.
“I’d definitely like to work there if it was a good project.
“I’m not surprised that Ryan has done well for us at Farense because in 2010/11 I had to do a lot of studying of Celtic before our games in the Champions League.
“So I’ve watched a lot of games in the Scottish Premiership and I see a lot of technically- developed players there, just like Gauld.”