When Newcastle United sent 18-year-old Ireland international Rory Finneran out on loan to Notts County this summer, there was a lot of hope that it would go well, but I'm not sure anybody was quite prepared for just how well he would start.
Finneran has only played two games so far, that is true, but he played every minute in each of those games and looked exceptionally sharp whilst doing so.
That has led to an influx of praise from not only Notts County fans themselves, who are seeing early signs that they have an absolute gem on their hands, and Newcastle United fans who who managed to catch the games on TV.
But one thing that might have both simultaneously resurfaced a little bout of PTSD and also provided an even bigger amount of encouragement to the Geordie faithful is how much his playstyle and movements re similar to Sandro Tonali.
Finneran compared to Tonali
Perhaps it is more so the mechanics themselves than the actual playstyle that has brought about these comparisons, but either way it is almost uncanny at times.
Finneran has the sort of powerful running style and naturally athletic stature that really make him stand out, especially at the level he is currently playing at.
He covers a monumental amount of ground across a 90 minutes and glides about the pitch without ever seeming to slow down, a bit like what we saw with a certain Italian, for about a season anyway.
Finneran also has that innate ability to break up play and win the ball back, with his out of possession understanding a bit part of his game, again in a similar manner to Sandro.
Of course this is relative, but from what Finneran has shown so far, he may actually have a more astute on ball ability when it comes to retaining possession and keeping the ball tick both in transition and prolonged periods of pressure - no, that isn't me saying he's a better player than Tonali, obviously.
A unique profile that could lend him to first team opportunities
What we know about the modern footballing landscape is that the number 6 position (or 4 to those of you more historically inclined) is one of the most sought after, yet one of the most sparse in terms of genuine quality.
Teams are always looking for an out and out holder who can break up play, dictate the game and guard against transitions in each phase of play.
Newcastle had a player like that in Tonali, now seem to have a double pivot that will be able to do similar in Nico and Lewis Miley.
The positive for Rory Finneran is, he can either come back after his loan and be the next in line for that throne in the Magpies' starting XI, or he can be given the opportunity to move to a club looking for someone to fill that void.
Either way, if Finneran continues to show quality in the way he has done so far, we are looking at a player putting himself on the map and making himself impossible to ignore - with those Sandro Tonali comparisons only enhancing his future opportunities.
Add us as a preferred source on Google