Opinion: Sanabria has shown he has all the attributes to be a quality forward

After all, the Roma loanee's goals mean he was the highest scoring teenager across Europe's big five leagues this season – at least until he turned 20 in March - while they have also been vital for his relegation-threatened side in keeping alive their hopes of remaining in the top flight.

When you consider Sanabria was ahead of the likes of Tottenham sensation Dele Alli, Rennes starlet Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich dynamo Kingsley Coman on that list of young scorers, all while playing for a newly promoted, financially stricken outfit, it is clearly quite an achievement.

Moreover, the man who idolised Real Madrid star Karim Benzema has already scored two hat-tricks this season, also bagging crucial goals in his side's landmark victories over Atletico Madrid and Valencia; crucial exploits which only serve to underline what a promising talent the 20-year-old is.

The former Barcelona youngster has displayed how effectively his multifaceted skillset can hurt any opposition. Physically, he has got an ideal build (similar to another Real forward, Cristiano Ronaldo) to cope with the rigours of the modern game. On the pitch he puts his athletic 180cm frame to great use, with his pace, strength, agility and admirable leap all making him a challenging proposition for any defender to handle.

Importantly, Sanabria couples his physical gifts with plenty of intelligence and technique. He's one of a select breed of forwards who can be a threat to defenders when dropping deep, where his slick passing and movement see him shine, or when getting in behind, where his crafty, well-timed runs and electric pace can be so damaging.

To focus on his movement, Sanabria is forever scanning for openings that he can exploit. He rarely stands idle, preferring to always be on the move, searching to get into promising areas to provide a viable option for his teammates. Whether by drifting laterally across the attacking third or making runs into the channels that are so often left vacant by the opposition's onrushing fullbacks, his clever movement and positioning ensures he regularly supplies his colleagues with a useful outlet.

Another consequence of his movement is that the opposition's backline is pulled out of shape in trying to track Sanabria, thus creating plenty of space for his fellow attackers to exploit.

Aggressive and purposeful in his approach, Sanabria has shown he possesses many of the attributes required to be a high quality forward in today's game. Although he has obviously got some fine tuning to do to further improve his approach, his loan move to Sporting, which has afforded him the chance to gain vital playing time and experience playing in one of the finest leagues in Europe, has worked out to be a fantastic move for both the player and the club.

For Sanabria, who starred in last season's UEFA Youth League for Roma on their way to making the semi-finals, it has been another important chapter in his development. He's especially enjoyed the experience of working under Sporting coach (and former Barcelona player) Abelardo Fernandez, saying: "I've learned a lot from the knowledgeable coach who also played football and he's transmitting to us all what he's learned.

"Sporting is a team where there are many young people, where they help you grow, and I'm really learning a lot."

Whatever the future holds for the Paraguay international, it is certainly looking like it will be a very promising one indeed for this gifted prospect.