Swansea star Jefferson Montero is one of the club’s most talented players – but he’s stuck on the other side of the world with Emelec
Ecuadorian winger burst onto the scene as a teenager but - like his final ball - has struggled to deliver on his promise
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WHILE Swansea City look anxiously over their shoulder in the relegation dogfight, one of their most skilful players is on the other side of the world.
Jefferson Montero has won matches for Swansea City away to the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
At 28, the winger should be at the peak of his powers.
Instead of which, he is back on loan at the club where it all began over a decade ago – Emelec of Ecuador.
Montero’s career path has been as mazy as some of his dribbles, with an end product that can be just as infuriating.
On his day, such as those afternoons at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, he looks like a world beater, a player so talented he deserves to be at Real Madrid.
He can be a full back’s nightmare - quick, capable of going either way and totally unpredictable.
Even at his best, though, he can be frustrating.
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And when he falls short of his best, the head can drop, the confidence can drain and he can become more and more erratic – and less and less fit.
Injuries have been a big problem in recent times, but there may even be a mental component to his physical ailments.
He is certainly a player who needs careful handling.
In the build up to the last World Cup I asked the then-coach of Ecuador, Reinaldo Rueda, if he thought it might be Montero’s tournament.
"It could be," he replied with a doubtful air.
"But it all depends on whether he wants to play for Ecuador of for Jefferson Montero.
"It doesn’t seem to be an easy decision for him."
In part this was the inevitable conflict between a methodological, organised coach and a winger whose very strength is that he plays off the cuff.
But get him pointing in the right direction and the rewards are clear.
I fell under his spell back in 2007, his first year as a professional, when he was the star player as Ecuador won the Pan-American title.
He seemed quicker running with the ball than anyone else was without it.
Almost two years later he was inflicted on an unsuspecting Argentina defence in a World Cup qualifier.
The opposing defence could hardly get near him as Ecuador won 2-0.
"They came to see Messi and ended up seeing Montero," said Ecuador coach Sixto Vizuete after the game.
He played perhaps the best football of his career in the early stages of the 2018 qualifiers. Nicknamed 'the turbine', Montero helped Ecuador set off at electric pace.
After five games they had 13 points – half as many as would be needed to qualify, with less than a third of the campaign played.
But then the wheels fell off.
It is easy to identify the day – September 1, 2016, when Ecuador hosted Brazil, down in 6th position in the table and playing their first game under new coach Tite.
Montero gave Daniel Alves a torrid time.
But – those frustrations with the final ball again – they could not turn first half domination into goals.
Brazil would have settled for 0-0.
But debutant Gabriel Jesus hit an inspired patch, and won the game in the last 20 minutes.
Brazil never looked back, Ecuador collapsed and Montero slumped.
A few days later Ecuador were beaten 2-1 away to Peru.
Falling into an abyss of poor form and injuries, Montero has not started a game for his country since – and he has hardly started a game for anyone else.
Swansea lost patience, and loaned him to Getafe in Spain.
They got nothing from him, so now he is back in Ecuador, where he is team-mates at Emelec with former Watford right-back Juan Carlos Paredes.
And so, over a decade after last wearing the blue shirt, he came on early in the second half of Saturday’s league game against Deportivo Cuenca.
After a long lay off his touch was off, his acceleration was not quite there and operating on the right, not his natural flank, limited his options.
He was erratic.
But he stretched the opposing defence, and helped turn a 2-1 lead into a comfortable 4-1 win.
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On Wednesday Emelec host Brazilian giants Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s Champions League.
Might Montero be deployed as a second half substitute?
Could the big occasion bring out the best in a player with the skill to be shining on far bigger stages?
The problem with Jefferson Montero is that there is never a guaranteed answer.