Manchester United fans were always going to have to be patient with Diogo Dalot.
Despite his innate talent, the £19million signing (BBC) needs time to settle in his new surroundings. He also has to compete with a resurgent Luke Shaw on the left flank and an evergreen Ashley Young on the right.
In time, Dalot is expected to make the right-back position his own. Yet, in his early months at Old Trafford, he has featured sparingly.
So far, the 19-year-old has managed just five league starts. But he has shown enough to suggest he is a star in the making.
With three massive games facing United this month, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to shuffle his pack. That could see Dalot play against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Those league matches come either side of a trio of season-defining games against Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Chelsea in three different competitions.
For those games, Shaw and Young should start. But they could well be rested at other times.
Dalot is ready to step forward, with Saturday’s game against Fulham an ideal opportunity. At the end of United’s massive month, they head to Palace and again the Portuguese could be used.
If he does feature, and performs well, it could be the making of Dalot in a United shirt.