Young British players plying their trade abroad is becoming the latest trend.

The likes of Jadon Sancho, Reece Oxford and Oliver Burke have all swapped England to continue their career on foreign soil in recent years.

But there were some Brits that were doing this before it became fashionable.

One of those starlets to take a leap of faith was Ryan Gauld.

Gauld shot to fame after media dubbed him the ‘Scottish Messi’ whilst appearing for Dundee United, making his debut aged just 17.

But after an impressive two seasons at the Scottish Premiership side, Gauld shocked everyone by moving to Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. Manchester United and Alex Ferguson were reportedly interested, but Gauld felt a move abroad would see him escape the spotlight and all of the hype.

The midfielder was only 18-years-old and made the €3 million move to the club that helped develop the likes of Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani in the summer of 2014. And Sporting showed just how much they rated him by slapping €60 million release clause on him.

He was even immediately named in the 25-man squad for the Champions League for the upcoming season after impressing manager Marco Silva in training.

It was looking like the 18-year-old Scot had a very big future.

However, he only managed to play five times in the first-team during the 2014/15 campaign, playing for Sporting B in the Segunda Liga for the majority of the season.

In the 2015/16 season, he didn’t make a single appearance for the first-half, making 38 appearances for the B team instead.

Last season, he spent the first half of the season on loan at Primeira Liga side Vitoria de Setubal, where he played nine games. However, he was recalled to Sporting’s B side in January after Vitoria de Setubal knocked Sporting out of the Portuguese Cup in controversial circumstances - with reports suggesting it was “revenge’ for their elimination.

But, last summer, Gauld was given another chance to play regular football in the top-flight in Portugal after being loaned out to C.D. Aves.

And it seems the now-22-year-old is impressing. He’s played 15 of the 24 league matches for the side that currently sit 13th in the table. However, they’re only three points clear of Moreirense, who sit rock-bottom in 18th.

But a relegation battle is something that could do Gauld the world of good and he will be hoping to return to Sporting at the end of the season and finally break into their first-team.

He’ll also still be hoping to be capped for his national side. Gauld was called up to the senior squad for the first time back in September 2014 but is yet to make an appearance.

There's still plenty of time for Gauld to fulfil the incredible potential he showed at such an early age - but he faces a crucial few months if he wants to take his career to the next level.