Morato

Morato spent years learning his trade deputising for senior centre backs abroad, stepping in whenever injuries opened a gap. He rarely looked like the makeshift option he technically was during those spells. That habit of reading the game a beat ahead followed him to Nottingham Forest, where his positioning lets him intercept a pass rather than needing to make a tackle.

What still needs proving across a full run of matches is whether that calm holds up against the most direct, physical forwards in the league. Those opponents do not offer a pass to intercept, because they simply run straight at him instead. Supporters who watched him deputise well abroad will want the same composure against forwards built purely to overpower rather than outthink a defender. The early signs in England have been encouraging, even in a squad with plenty of competition for his position.