IF THE 24 year old Czech forward had not previously realised it then surely he did now Poborsky was a star. And not just in his small home town of Trebon in Bohemia, or in Prague where he played his club football for Slavia Poborsky was now a star all over Europe.

The previous night, playing against Portugal, he had lobbed his way into the collective European imagination and the continent's media wanted to know all they could about a boy called Karel.

Unfortunately he was not too forthcoming, a combination of natural shyness and an understandable reluctance to hog the limelight. Asked to describe himself he replied. "It's difficult to say. I've played football all my life." He then paused before adding. "It's a short biography."

Indeed it was, and it was clearly not enough for the Spanish journalists trying to beef up a story that Real Madrid were interested in signing him. "Who were your idols," they inquired. I haven't had any idols," said Poborsky. This was not going well. Poborsky was good at more games than just football.

"Well what about Real Madrid, Lazio, Liverpool?". "I'm finding these out from you, he replied. Finally he elaborated. "There is no question that I would like to play in a top league at some stage, be that Italy or Germany. I will do my best to achieve that dream."

That stage has come quicker than Poborsky thought. Not in Italy or Germany, but in Manchester.

It will not be an easy transition if Poborsky is as withdrawn as people say he is. He reputedly has even less English than Aadrei Kanchelskis had when he arrived at Old Trafford. However he told Czech television last week. "Once I'd spoken to Manchester United they were the only team I wanted to join.

That will please Ferguson, who nipped in after Liverpool had made an initial inquiry but balked at the £3.6 million asking price. Since Kanchelskis and Keith Gillespie left the club, United have had no one to gallop down the right and while they did the Double last season with the 20 year old David Beckham on that side, Ferguson stressed. "It is the European experience the boy Poborsky has that is important."

Ferguson clearly holds Beckham in high regard and called him "our best player pre season" last weekend. But he said of the Czech. "I thought looking at Poborsky in the European Championship that he would give us a different type of player wide on the right, a different way of penetrating on that side."

Although Ferguson has said that Poborsky will not start the Charity Shield on Sunday, he nevertheless looks certain to come on, with Beckham possibly moving inside if Roy Keaae is injured. If so it might be more profitable to regard Poborsky not as another Kanchelskis but rather as a Bohemian Gordon Strachan.

Poborsky was born into a sporting family in the southern Czech spa town of Trebon, a place famous for its carp, the Czech national delicacy. His father, a useful amateur footballer, was coach of the local Trebon team, whose status is described as "English fifth division".

When he was 14, Poborksy moved to a nearby larger town, Ceske Budejovice, where he attended a special academy for outstanding young sportsmen. His major subject was football and Poborsky learnt quickly enough to be in the Ceske first team as a teenager.

His emerging talent was recognised in Prague and just over two years ago he was signed by one of the capital's teams, Viktoria Zizkov. There Poborsky blossomed and earned the first of what is now 20 caps. Then, surprisingly, he moved again last season when Slavia Prague came in for him.

It proved to be smart timing Czech domestic and international football was about to enter its most prosperous phase for years and Slavia were at the forefront. Poborsky had a thrilling debut for Slavia, who dismissed Roma (with Poborsky scoring) on the war to the UEFA Cup semifinal.

While he continued to collect outstanding reviews, Poborsky appeared unsettled in Prague and frequently travelled with his wife and child back to the family home in Trebon. There his elder brother still plays for the local team, and Poborsky relaxed by fishing on the river.

The quiet aspect to Poborsky's character has led many Czechs to question how he will handle a move to the hurly burly of the Premiership in Manchester, especially been the burden of the £3.6 million fee.

But much talk takes little account of the reason Poborsky is here, the fact that within the past two months he proved himself a cut above most of the best players in Europe. Wembley will hold no fear for him on Sunday after all he "won" the Czech penalty there in the Euro `96 final and neither will Old Trafford.

Poborksy played in the 2-0 defeat by Germany there in the first group match and also in the forgettable semi final against France. He took the fourth penalty in the shoot out that day when the Czechs were 4-3 down. He scored.