Hat-trick hero and Swiss wonderkid – World Cup pairing set for Premier League?

Manzambi was once the goalkeeper of his youth team – and his first football idol was Germany’s Manuel Neuer.

Now he is a creative midfielder who enjoys going forward.

And his goalscoring exploits against Bosnia-Herzegovina suggest he could be much more than a “super-sub” at this World Cup.

He joined Freiburg’s first XI last season and helped the German club reach the Europa League final.

Manzambi started against Aston Villa in the final and although he couldn’t help his side win – they lost 3-0 – he has been linked with Napoli, Chelsea and Manchester United.

His performance on Thursday at Los Angeles Stadium suggests there could be more competition for his services this summer.

It could have been better had he been allowed to take his side’s 97th-minute penalty, with captain Granit Xhaka stepping up to convert instead.

Had Manzambi accepted it and scored, he would have become the third-youngest player to hit the treble at the World Cup, behind 17-year-old Pele for Brazil against France in the 1958 semi-final and 19-year-old German Edmond Koenen against Belgium in 1934.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea were all linked with Manzambi in March and interest will only increase if he continues to make an impact like this.

Speaking about Manzambi’s first goal to put Switzerland 1-0 up, former Crystal Palace forward Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a great finish.

“Switzerland needed to change because they weren’t doing anything, they were dominating possession but not threatening.

“It was a great volley and great strategy to lead Switzerland.”