It is, perhaps, instructive to us that Dante Polvara should turn in a man-of-the-match performance for Aberdeen on the weekend of the NFL draft.
When he first turned up at Pittodrie, many doubted what a bloke who’d spent his early adulthood in college was going to contribute at the top level of professional football.
Not a question they’re likely to have been brave enough to put to the behemoths being selected over the last few days in the US. University sport is an inordinately different beast there than here.
Only a select few of those athletes will be dropped in as day-one starters, with many of the remainder benefitting from a year or two of learning the pro trade on the fringes of the roster. Polvara has followed a similar path, and, though later than most footballers at nearly 24, is gradually coming into his own.
That is despite being among those most hindered by Aberdeen’s awful squad balance. Arguably fifth on the central midfield depth chart, Polvara has done well to get the minutes he has this season – but do not be shocked if he emerges as a more important figure next term.
Scotland has a historical tendency to judge midfielders’ quality by the number of fouls they can commit, or by how many 40-yard passes they can accurately deliver without ever leaving the centre circle.
The style of play which Jimmy Thelin demands, though, will prioritise press, running, first touch, and willingness to get ahead of the ball: it would not be a surprise if the new manager watches his players in training and identifies Polvara as the best available trigger man for the generation of turnovers.
Those tactics require patience and impeccable timing. Polvara may, quite unexpectedly, end up in the right place at the right time.
