While Matt Doherty's move to Atletico Madrid caused plenty of excitement at the time, it's fair to say that the Dubliner has found life in the Spanish capital fairly difficult up to this point.
Heading into last weekend's fixture against Sevilla, the defender had yet to make his debut for the club. While he did come off the bench late on in that game, the face that he only played the final ten minutes or so when his team were already 5-1 up speaks volumes.
Atletico first choice right wingback, Nahuel Molina, was suspended for that fixture. As a result, Doherty was expected to start. Instead, Diego Simeone opted to play Spain midfielder Marcos Llorente out of position in that role.
Considering the club's fixture list and the player's contract situation, the Irishman opportunities in Spain could already be set to become severely limited.
Matt Doherty left in limbo at Atletico Madrid
The transfer that brought Matt Doherty to Atletico Madrid was a hugely surprising one, with no rumours of the potential switch prior to deadline day in January.
The terms of the move were also a bit odd, with the player having his contract at Spurs voided only to then sign a six-month deal in Spain with no long-term security.
It is said the transfer came about due to Atletico's strong relationship with Doherty's agent Jorge Mendes.
Breaking into that team was always going to be a challenge. Not only was there plenty of competition for places, but Diego Simeone is also notoriously slow to throw new signings into the side. That is especially true for those who arrive mid-season.
In fact, it has been said that the club's manager may have had very little influence on the Spurs man's arrival in the first place.
In an intriguing article on The Athletic, Dermot Corrigan revealed that there has been some speculation that Matt Doherty was signed by Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin, with Diego Simeone having no influence on the move. In this sense, he was very much a 'club signing'.
Even worse, there are worries that the Ireland player is now being marginalised as a result of the ongoing power struggle between the two men. It is compared to the situation of Sergio Reguilon, who Marin also signed on loan from Spurs last summer and who has gone on to feature for a total of 98 minutes this season.
You can read the piece in full here.
With all of this in mind, it seems likely that Matt Doherty's stay at the club could be a short one.
Atletico are out of both European and domestic cup competitions, and with only 14 league games remaining in the campaign, playing opportunities could be limited considering his pecking order within the squad.
Hopefully he can turns things around and make his time at the Metropolitano Stadium a successful one.
SEE ALSO: Paul Scholes Concerned By Lisandro Martinez Trait That Cost Man United At Anfield
