The English winger impressing in the Portuguese Primeira Liga
It’s not all that common to see English players move abroad in the modern game, let alone thrive outside their country of birth.
It is becoming somewhat more common, though. Jadon Sancho has been one of the standout performers in all of European football since moving from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund, his switch to Germany being the ultimate beacon to show English players that going overseas to find game time and form can come with great reward.
Other English players followed suit; Reiss Nelson moved out on loan to Hoffenheim from Arsenal and also impressed, Sheyi Ojo went to Reims from Liverpool and got some good experience under his belt, while Chris Smalling joined Roma from Manchester United and has very much rejuvinated his career. And who could forget the most notable recent addition to the list of English players overseas, Kieran Trippier, who switched London and Tottenham for Madrid and Atletico on a permanent contract.
However, one perhaps lesser-known player who has slipped under the radar amongst the English media is a countryman currently plying his trade on Portuguese soil - 21-year old talent Marcus Edwards.
The tricky winger, who came through the Tottenham academy, has been getting a good deal of game time under his belt for Vitoria Guimaraes in recent weeks, both in the Primeira Liga and the Europa League.
Arsenal fans may remember him well from October, when the English attacker tormented his former London rivals in their Europa League clashl, with the Guimaraes starlet scoring one of the goals in their eventual 3-2 defeat at The Emirates.
He has continued to impress, though, and is starting to look like a really smart addition for Vitoria, who signed him on a free contract at the end of the last transfer window, with Spurs retaining 50% of any of his future sale fee.
And in his most recent outing for Guimaraes against Portimonense, he was the man to score one of the goals in a comprehensive 2-0 win, dancing through the defence before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
You can watch a clip of the goal here:
