Ferran Torres is a shrewd £21m signing among the stars at Manchester City

Maybe it would not be massively advisable for Ferran Torres to shout about this given his nationality, but Cristiano Ronaldo is the man he has studied more than anyone over the past few years.

Sure, notes on developing from winger to powerful centre forward are coming in handy. Yet more pertinent is the way he has dedicated himself to the sport and maintained standards year on year without flinching. That absent-minded approach to a career at the highest level.

He is a learner, Torres, and someone who wants to give himself the absolute best chance of succeeding. For that, Ronaldo is a pretty good frame of reference.

He has wanted to spend these first few months in England as someone who purely trains, goes home to work with a personal trainer, and sleeps. Pure focus has been the theme of his stay here so far.

Admittedly that is easier to adhere during a global pandemic but he has not even enjoyed an extended visit from his family until Christmas. His older sister, Arantxa, travelled to be with him before the festive period. He has relished that time, with Arantxa his main confidante, the pair wearing matching ankle tattoos – an anchor, accompanied by the words 'I refuse to sink'.

Torres has heeded that message and already proven a shrewd £21million signing among the stars at City. He is versatile and a regular source of goals in a season during which they have badly lacked for Pep Guardiola.

He chips in with his fair share, Boxing Day's tap-in his seventh for City. A tap-in by design, engineered by clever movement.

In many ways, Torres has been both help and hindrance for Manchester City. His goals are welcome but, weirdly, the way in which he has taken to a central striker's role has meant City have probably not been afforded the leeway they might have expected with prolonged absences of both Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus is missing for the next week having tested positive for coronavirus and Guardiola is carefully managing Aguero's return.

So Torres played through the middle against Newcastle and him stepping into that role for plenty of games already makes you wonder where City might have been without him.

The Spaniard is not polished and, still only 20, will not be for some time. Guardiola knows there is much to work with.

Torres did not envisage operating as a No 9 until much later in his career but here is he. Capable of occupying Premier League centre halves, despite playing right wing for the vast majority of his teenage years. Knowing when to stand deadly still inside the box, waiting for an assist.

He comes deep for possession, opening Newcastle up on a few occasions. Hit the net to settle this as a contest, now scoring better than a goal every other start.

Aguero will always be a huge miss but that the absence of Jesus can pass without note is testament to the young lad from Valencia.