Yusuf Abdurisag has spent six years trying to become the player everyone at Aspire always assumed he would be. An assist on debut at 20 under Felix Sanchez felt like a beginning. But missing the home World Cup squad just three years later has come to mirror the broader arc of his career thus far. He is 26 now, on his second loan at Al Wakrah, searching for the consistency that would make him indispensable rather than merely interesting. On the way, he has divided opinions.

The friendly against Ireland offered glimpses of his ability to operate off the left and take on defenders. Lopetegui has offered the winger of Somali origin a fair share of minutes lately, and the camp in Santa Barbara, ultimately, should be the biggest opportunity so far for Abdurisag to step out of his shadow.