Oumar Solet seized his chance with aplomb. He chested down a clearance from Yann Sommer and strode forward, skipping past Nicolo Barella before accelerating as the Inter Milan defenders backtracked.

By the time Benjamin Pavard moved in to close him down, it was too late. The ball detonated off Solet’s right boot, before rising and curling past Sommer and into the back of the net.

Not the sort of thing expected from a towering centre-back, let alone at the San Siro against the best team in the country, who remain on course to win a second consecutive Scudetto.

But this was not hit-and-hope territory. Everything felt controlled about the strike, but then again, everything feels controlled about Solet’s game.

Which explains why he has admirers across European football, with Inter leading the way and Napoli, Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham also interested.

In that respect, if Udinese’s trip to the San Siro was a dress rehearsal for Solet, the fitting could hardly have been better.

The 25-year-old was superb at both ends of the pitch during the 2-1 defeat by the Nerazzurri, neutralising Marcus Thuram and Joaquin Correa when the Argentine replaced Marko Arnautovic.

Solet led Udinese in blocks and clearances and denied Davide Frattesi a brace with a perfectly-timed goalline intervention. The Frenchman was also critical to almost everything the Bianconeri did going forward, leading his team in successful take-ons with four, while ranking second in shots and shots on target with three and two respectively.

Had it not been for a superb save from Sommer, the second of those two shots on target may have rescued a point for Udinese deep into injury time.

Just 11 games into his Serie A career after joining on a free transfer from RB Salzburg in January, Solet has developed into a crucial figure in Kosta Runjaic’s team.

Udinese have kept five clean sheets since Solet made his debut against Hellas Verona in January, keeping the Scaligeri, Atalanta, Empoli, Lecce and Parma scoreless.

Inter were the first team to score twice against the Zebrette in almost two months, a run in which they conceded just five goals in seven matches. 

The Nerazzurri are looking to freshen up a squad that is by far the oldest in Serie A with an average age of 29.4 years and Solet, still only 25, fits the bill.

An imposing figure at 6ft 2in, he is comfortable with the ball at his feet and can play as centre-back or left centre-back in a three-man defence. He can also operate as a defensive midfielder.

Among Serie A defenders who have played at least 10 games this season, he ranks first in successful dribbles per game and accurate long balls per game with 1.72 and 4.91 respectively.

Solet is third in ball recoveries with 5.09 and fourth in key passes with 0.73, while his 5.09 duels won rank him seventh among all eligible defenders.

While Udinese may be loath to lose Solet in the summer, polishing rough diamonds and selling them on for a large profit is what their financial model is predicated on.

And with the player valued at €25m (£21m), they would be in line for a significant windfall after signing him on a free.

Udinese rolled the dice with Solet, who missed 60 games and spent a total of 463 days sidelined during four seasons with RB Salzburg, who had spent €4.5m to sign him from Lyon.

An ACL injury ruled him out for seven months between January and July 2020 before he tore his meniscus the following year. 

A series of muscular issues repeatedly disrupted his spell in Austria, but Udinese had seen enough to sign him up to a two-year deal back in October.

UEFA regulations meant Solet was not available until January and he spent the intervening two months returning to full fitness.

The hard work has paid off.

“Considering my qualities and ambitions, I feel it’s the ideal time for the next step, which is to move to a major league and start playing big challenges week in, week out,” he said ahead of his move to Udinese.

At this rate, the next step may take Solet all the way to the San Siro.