In a bleak season, Cedric Soares was one of a few players to stand out for Southampton who dodged relegation from the Premier League with a game to spare. His resolute defending and adventurous personality in the final third had attracted interest from Manchester United, with Jose Mourinho reported to be a keen admirer of the Portugal right-back.

Cedric was a bit-part player in Portugal’s European Championship triumph in 2016 but was a regular starter in their World Cup qualifying campaign, and pipped Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo for a place in Fernando Santos’ final squad.

Portugal’s back line were given a tough evening by Spain in the epic 3-3 draw in their opening game of Group B, but Morocco proposed a different threat on the counter attack.

World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Rui Patricio - 6/10 Did his job well, but didn’t have many saves to make. REUTERS World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Cedric Soares - 5/10 Was okay in defence but offered little going forward. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Pepe - 6/10 A little slow, struggled at the back. Put in some important challenges though towards the end. Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Jose Fonte - 6/10 Found in some awkward positions and lacked pace. REUTERS World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Raphael Guerreiro - 3/10 Had a shocker at the back. Amrabat ran rings around him. REUTERS World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Bernardo Silva - 6/10 Average going forward. Made a couple of chances for his side. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Joao Moutinho - 6/10 Solid going forward, but not enough chances created AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings William Carvalho - 6/10 Needed to get involved more, but was good when on the ball AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Joao Mario - 5/10 Quiet in midfield, could have done much more. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Goncalo Guedes - 6/10 Enjoyed a couple of chances but could have linked better with Ronaldo. Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo - 7/10 Didn’t get enough of the ball but scored the all important winning goal. AP World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Munir Mohand Mohamedi - 6/10 Made a great save in the first half to keep Morocco in the contest. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Nabil Dirar - 7/10 Defended well and encouraging in attack. EPA World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Medhi Benatia - 6/10 Made a couple of mistakes but tried to rectify them when going forward. REUTERS World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Manuel Da Costa - 5/10 Should have done more for Ronaldo's goal. Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Achraf Hakimi - 5/10 An underwhelming display. REUTERS World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Karim El Ahmadi - 6/10 Tried to push forward; became increasingly sloppy the more frustrated he got. EPA World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Mbarek Boussoufa - 5/10 Had a quiet game but fed the wingers well. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Nordin Amrabat - 7/10 A great game. Fantastic down the right and deserved more. Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Younes Belhanda - 7/10 Played well and was involved in a couple of good chances. AFP/Getty Images World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Hakim Ziyech - 7/10 Helped created a number of chances and enjoyed a few shots on goal. REUTERS World Cup: Portugal vs Morocco player ratings Khalid Boutaib - 6/10 Lacked the finishing touch for his side. REUTERS

Cedric’s heart will have been in his mouth when he let Medhi Benatia slip free of his grip when defending a corner, but had his goalkeeper to thank for sparing his blushes. The Juventus defender shifted clear of Cedirc and got a free head to the ball, forcing a save from Rui Patricio after heading low towards the bottom corner from close range.

Chaos ensued around him but Cedric quickly found his composure after a shaky start. Portugal were pushing Morocco high up the pitch which left plenty of space for the African side to play behind their defence.

When called upon Cedric was disciplined with his positioning but did not always came off best when tackling one-on-one, although he was not helped Bernardo Silva’s negligent tracking back.

Ronaldo's goal was enough to give Portugal the win (EPA)

Much in tune with Portugal’s game plan, Cedric was quick and accurate with his early forward passes, often in the direction of Cristiano Ronaldo, and kept the ball ticking over as Portugal held their lead.

While Cedric did not necessarily have a bad game it was nothing eye-catching, and suggests his limit is far below what might be expected of him at a larger club like Manchester United. His sense of attacking adventure ended with sheepish passes to a teammate, and, while his defensive positioning was often precise, his tackling technique falls short of the reliability a top side requires.

United’s acquisition of Porto’s 19-year-old Diogo Dalot means Cedric is likely to begin a fourth season on the south coast, and Mark Hughes may be wise to consider building a team around his full backs.

In Ryan Bertrand and Cedric, the Saints have a very competitive pair of full backs who could provide attacking power on the wings in the absence of quality wide players. Both men have the physical and technical attributes to successfully command their respective flanks defensively and pose an attacking threat.