PSG star Vitinha struggled at Wolves but is now one of the world’s best midfielders – Unai Emery must devise a plan to stop him if Aston Villa want to win their Champions League tie, writes TOM COLLOMOSSE

It was at an empty non-league ground in January 2021 that Vitinha first left his stamp on English football.

During the Covid-blighted 2020-21 season, when fans were still locked out of stadiums, the Portuguese midfielder settled an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Victory Park, home of sixth-tier Chorley, in Wolves‘ favour. His ferocious strike from 30 yards sealed a 1-0 win and spared Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side embarrassment in what would prove a hugely tricky season for the club.

That was the highlight of a season-long loan spell in which Vitinha made only eight starts before returning to Porto. Though he had shown flashes of his talent, there was little appetite among Wolves recruitment staff or supporters to activate the £25million buy option that would have brought him to Molineux permanently. When Vitinha did play, he often had Conor Coady bellowing ‘Vitor!’ (his full name is Vitor Machado Ferreira) from the centre of defence, urging him to hold his position when Wolves lost the ball.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Vitinha is now one of the world’s best midfielders and the metronome of the Paris Saint-Germain team who will take some stopping in this season’s Champions League. The 25-year-old was outstanding in both legs as PSG overcame Liverpool in the last 16 and if Aston Villa are to repeat their 1982 European Cup-winning campaign, they must curtail his influence.

Now in charge of Nottingham Forest, Nuno is not surprised that Vitinha has reached this level – though perhaps he did not expect him to rise so quickly after his Wolves stint ended. Because a single strong campaign at Porto was enough to persuade PSG to pay £34million for him in summer 2022 and he has been the French champions’ fulcrum ever since.

‘He is an amazing player,’ said Nuno. ‘In Portugal we are fortunate to have players like him and (PSG team-mate) Joao Neves.

He made his mark when he scored a winner at sixth-tier Chorley in the FA Cup back in 2021

Still, there was little appetite from fans or the club to make his short loan spell permanent

‘For sure his time at Wolves was important. because he brought things to his game that you cannot find anywhere outside the Premier League. The physicality, the intensity of the game improves the players.

‘Everybody saw the talent was there. Then you have to consider the impact of the physicality. We signed him when he was 20, and he was just getting used to the senior level, which was a big impact.

‘And I have to be honest with you: we had Joao Moutinho, another amazing player. Sometimes young players who join can have the talent, but sometimes it is about the coach who makes the decisions.

‘At that time, the midfield was Moutinho and Ruben Neves, so it was not easy for Vitinha. But he played a lot of games, went back to Porto and his level started rising and rising, improving. Now it is a joy to see how he is doing at PSG.’

When Vitinha joined Wolves at the end of the 2020 transfer window, it was not long after they had paid an astonishing £35m for another Portuguese prospect, Fabio Silva. The forward is still contracted to Wolves but is now on loan at Spanish club Las Palmas and the deal remains one of the most curious Wolves have agreed since they returned to the Premier League in 2018.

As with Silva, Wolves noticed Vitinha carried himself with huge self-confidence although, unlike his colleague, the midfielder was able to hide his frustration at failing to establish himself as a first-team regular.

The other aspect that struck Wolves staff was Vitinha’s maturity: even though English is not his first language, he spoke it with confidence and was chatty and engaging with everyone – an unusual for a young footballer from overseas.

Yet whatever Nuno says now, few at the time saw him making this sort of progress – apart from Vitinha himself. Perhaps that is why he never lost his rag at finding himself on the bench yet again. He knew he was destined for the Champions League. If he had to take a longer route to get there, so be it.

Nuno Espirito Santo, his manager at Wolves, insists his time at the club was important for his development

He didn’t enjoy too much game time due to the form of the likes of Joao Moutinho (pictured) and Ruben Neves

Unai Emery (pictured) will have to devise a plan to stop Vitinha if he wants to overcome Luis Enrique and his side

The problem for Villa is that he faces these plans every time he plays – and is good enough to solve them

Vitinha was still a youth player at Porto the last time his current boss Luis Enrique met Unai Emery in the Champions League. As Barcelona boss, Enrique helped overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Emery’s PSG by winning 6-1 at the Nou Camp in the second leg. It remains Emery’s most painful day to date as a top-level manager.

To gain revenge over Enrique, Emery will have formed a plan to try to stop Vitinha. With John McGinn expected to play just behind the central forward, he will be key to the operation.

Along with Morgan Rogers, Emery regards McGinn as his most tactically-adaptable player and the Scot has numerous individual video meetings with Emery, going through clips of future opponents and the role demanded of him.

It will be no surprise to see McGinn stick close to Vitinha throughout, trying to stop PSG’s moves at source.

The problem for Villa is that Vitinha faces these puzzles every weekend and is usually good enough to solve them. Alongside him, Neves is similarly clever and creative. Breaking that axis will be key to Villa’s chances.

Vitinha did not feature in either of Wolves’ meetings with Villa in his single campaign in England. He will have rather a more important role on Wednesday.