Moments of pure quality in Chelsea shirt have been few and far between for Saul Niguez.
The odd sturdy performance here, a few neat cameos there.
He enjoyed a decent run throughout the Carabao Cup journey to the final and was particularly impressive against Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-final first leg.
But other than a few minor appearances across the various competitions, there will be very little to report back to Atletico Madrid when the time comes to make a decision on his future.
However, one picture that might live longer in the memory than most actually occurred away from competitive action.
Chelsea’s club cameras were rolling when Saul showed off a sublime piece of skill in training.
For reasons unbeknown, a basketball hope had been set up on one of the Cobham pitches.
Failed attempts from other players could be seen rebounding off the hoop or missing the target completely.
Up steps Saul, who perfectly dispatched his effort into the net from about 25-yards.
Michael Jordan, eat your heart out.
Saul must show more than just basketball abilities
Hopefully, this isn’t what the Spaniard is solely recognised for when his loan spell with Chelsea concludes.
The 27-year-old has a Club World Cup winners’ medal stored away in his locker, yet across the two fixtures, he only played 43 minutes.
He could well add the Carabao Cup to his CV, but again the likelihood of him featuring in the final against Liverpool is slim.
How many more times will the midfielder walk out to the Champions League music this season?
Depending on Tuesday’s result at home to Lille, it could be very few.
This might all sound extremely pessimistic, but everything is being underlined with realism.
Although, now the campaign has entered its crunch period, perhaps Thomas Tuchel will in fact need Saul more than ever.
Better keep shooting those three-pointers to impress the boss!
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