The stage was set at a sodden Liberty Stadium. Renato Sanches, sold to Swansea supporters as Clarence Seedorf-in-training, was selected as the right-sided machinist in Paul Clements' narrow midfield diamond.
One of the most sought-after talents in European football before his €35 million switch to Bayern Munich, the expectation which still surrounds Sanches is considerable, despite his limited impact at the Allianz Arena last season.
Swansea was his opportunity to restore his dampened reputation and show two fingers to Carlo Ancelotti, with Sunday's meeting with Newcastle his first objective.
Sanches, though, thrusted into the Swans set-up hours after returning from international duty with Portugal, was unsurprisingly languid following a frantic opening five-minute period in which his involvement was joyously celebrated by the home support.
His debut was littered with undercooked passes, overrun touches and listless attempts in the tackle; the spark which earned him sweeping notoriety at Benfica peripheral.
Sanches had failed his audition, albeit under mitigating factors.
"He has come to a new club and has new team-mates, a new language, new culture," Clement told the BBC following the tie. "He did things today that were good and some that were not good. He is a quality player."
Sanches' fast-tracked success cannot be downplayed – still only 20, he has two top-flight titles to his name and was key to Portugal being named European champions in 2016. He's the keeper of a number of prestigious individual accolades and was the most coveted young player in the continent just 18 months ago. Sanches is not short of ability, he's merely in need of opportunity. At Swansea, he has just that.
Despite teething problems against Newcastle, Sanches refused to hide; a telling factor in the player's make-up and one which will project his intentions to the Swansea support. While his involvement decreased as the game progressed, having moved into a slightly more advanced role in the second half, it was not through lack of endeavour.
Exhausted, the midfielder was inevitably replaced by Wilfried Bony as Clement's side eventually fell to a 1-0 defeat.
The loss, Swansea's second of the season, highlighted the need for variation in midfield and Sanches certainly has the capacity to fill that void. With extended game time comes fitness, confidence, and arguably, most importantly understanding.
As Sunday proved, however, there is limit with expectation.
“There are examples of others where it has worked fine,” Clement previously said. “Rooney to United worked. Ronaldo to United. We are going to try and make sure this one works well. It’s for one year and we have to accelerate it quickly to work. It will certainly be a strange new environment for him, but he’ll play a lot and will suit Swansea’s style of play.”
Sanches' story will continue, and the stage will be set again. Next time, though, he will be expected to play his part.
