Lyon boss Paulo Fonseca tips surprise sensation Afonso Moreira as Portugal prospect | OneFootball

Portuguese youngster Afonso Moreira has been a revelation in his debut season at Lyon (Getty Images)

Portuguese youngster Afonso Moreira is one of the emerging talents in Ligue 1 this season, catching the eye for Paulo Fonseca’s Lyon after a summer move from Sporting.

Moreira, 20, has scored five goals and registered five assists in 25 games for Les Gones so far, helping Lyon, who are in 5th place in France, to produce another solid season despite much-publicised financial issues. Speaking ahead of this weekend’s match with Brest, Fonseca spoke extensively about Portugal under-21 international Moreira.

“He has perhaps been the most influential player on our team, with assists and goals, but it’s not only that,” Fonseca said. “He’s a kid with incredible energy, who works defensively like few others. His performance has been a pleasant surprise, but he deserves credit.

“Afonso Moreira has worked hard, listened, learned and taken risks. He is a courageous young man and very important to our team. He is still young and I am sure that if he continues like this he will be a player to watch in the National Team.

“Credit must be given to our scouting department, which knew the player well and advised him. Afonso Moreira arrived here without any experience at this level. The French league is different from the Portuguese one, but he adapted very well, knew how to wait for his opportunities and greatly improved his game and decision-making ability.”

Lyon are enjoying a solid season under Fonseca (Getty Images)

Portuguese youth coming through

Moreira signed a four-year contract from Sporting in a deal worth just €2m and a 20% sell-on clause. The Viseu native is not the only young Portuguese starlet in Fonseca’s ranks; he is joined by three countrymen: goalkeeper Matthias Silva, 18, as well as midfielders Mathys de Carvalho, 20, and Tiago Gonçalves, 18.

Mathys De Carvalho, who was born in Lyon, is a defensive midfielder who has already represented Portugal’s U20 team, with all four turning out for Portugal at various youth levels.

“I’m enjoying working with young players and developing talent,” Fonseca admitted. “Mathys de Carvalho has had incredible progress, he is a very disciplined and focused kid and has played well, some of them against difficult opponents in the Europa League. He still needs to improve in some areas, but, when nobody expected it, he played very interesting games and is a highly competitive and humble kid. We are very satisfied with his progress.”

The progress of such young talent has been vital for Lyon, as they contend with financial issues which restricted Fonseca in the transfer market after losing key players such Alexandre Lacazette, Rayan Cherki, Lucas Perri, Georges Mikautadze and Nemanja Matic. The club recouped €110m in player sales, while spending just €40m on incomings, including a loan deal for Real Madrid prodigy Endrick.

“We must remember how difficult the start of the season was, with the financial constraints we faced in building the squad,” said Fonseca, who has led the team to 1st place in the Europa League. “It is extremely positive to reach this point in the season and be fighting for the top spots, with clubs that have had greater stability and, above all, greater investments.

“The club has done an excellent job of recruitment and knows exactly what it wants. We have managed to form a team that is competitive, plays well and has shown great courage, especially in the way it approaches games and competes, regardless of whether they are at home or away.

“It’s extremely positive to be leading the Europa League at this moment and in the position we occupy in the league. We recently eliminated one of the candidates to always win the French Cup. We’ve won five games in a row across various competitions and seven of the last eight. There has been enormous growth in the players, especially the young ones.

"We are not obsessed with the Champions League. We are practically at year zero and the club knows exactly what it wants. Now, I am sure that it will get there in the future. Whether it’s this year, next year, I don’t know, but very soon it will return to the Champions League.”

By Sean Gillen