The presence of an extremely talented individual player often seems to be a cause of pain as much as serenity for managers.

When there is a gulf in class between a footballer and his team-mates, there is an inevitable potential for tension.

Every individual match-winning performance becomes the focus of attention; press conferences become single issue events lavishing praise on the player; injuries are perceived as catastrophic and recoveries a source of salvation.

If those around the particular player aren’t contributing so much, transfer hype shadows him: “How long can he put up with the mediocrity around him?”