The 18-year-old started the first leg of our UEFA Conference League quarter-final at right-back, from where he drove forward and made inroads into the Legia box to try and disrupt their low block.

Later in the game, following Reece James’ withdrawal, Acheampong moved into central midfield. He looked right at home there, too, impressing with his passing range and tenacity in the tackle as we overran Legia.

‘The one I fell in love with tonight was Josh Acheampong,’ beamed Maresca after the game. ‘For me potentially he can be a fantastic player for this club and in football in general.

‘Since we started, I am in love with him, but tonight he showed he can be a very good player for this club.

‘A good player shows you they can play in different positions,’ added Maresca.

‘He was full-back good, midfielder good, central defender good. It’s not about playing in that position, or that position. If you are a good player, you can play in different positions.

‘He can be good in different positions. The best thing about Josh also is he is open. He wants to learn. Full-back? Okay, no problem. What do I have to do? Perfect. Midfielder? What do I have to do? This is a player who wants to play in all positions, who wants to learn. Josh is doing that since we started.’