In the second of a five-part series on talented youngsters who have gone largely unnoticed, sportsnet.ca focuses on Ricky van Wolfswinkel.

He has the perfect build for a striker, tall and slender with great upper body strength, and comparisons to Dutch goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy have always been close by -- the most obvious being his ability to strike with lethal force inside the 18-yard box.

Ricky van Wolfswinkel has developed largely outside the spotlight, playing for a few smaller clubs in the Eredivisie. As a result, the Dutchman has been, for the most part, unknown outside the Netherlands.

Vitesse Arnhem is where his professional career began, debuting at the tail end of the 2008 season after impressing at youth levels. It took three matches for van Wolfswinkel to score his first goal for the senior squad the following year, and he finished with eight in 32 appearances.

In May of 2009, the striker moved to FC Utrecht, which was a step up football-wise. It took three minutes for him to score on his debut; it turned out to be the match winner against RKC Waalwijk.

Another season in the books and a total of eight goals scored, a call-up to the national team in August 2010 was his reward. Manager Bert van Marwijk saw massive amounts of potential and added him to his starting XI in a friendly match against Ukraine following the World Cup. It was a giant step forward in his young career.

Word was out, and the Dutch striker helped spread the message by scoring a hat trick in a 4-0 playoff win in the Europa League against Celtic, earning his team a spot in the group stages. Although Utrecht finished bottom and failed to progress to the knockout round, van Wolfswinkel was most impressive, scoring two goals in six matches and having an all-round good performance. Rumours circulated that group opponents Liverpool were interested in retaining his services before the close of the winter transfer window. But it never materialized.

Last season ended with 15 goals to his name, which included five two-goal performances, the most notable coming in the Amsterdam Arena against league giants Ajax. Departure from Utrecht was inevitable, a new challenge was needed.

The move to Portugal this past summer was somewhat of a surprise. Sporting Club of Portugal shelled out over five million euros for the striker. Considering his size and style, success looked promising on the Iberian Peninsula. The Dutchman was an unused sub in three of the first five matches, but came off the bench to score his first in a comeback victory versus Pacos de Ferreira. Two weeks later, a brace against Vitoria Setubal endeared him to Sportinguistas inside the Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Starting with a gem from a tough angle, with a defender breathing down his neck, van Wolfswinkel kept his composure and calmly curled the ball past Setubal keeper Diego. The brace came via a one-timer that rattled off the bar top corner, showing his class at striking the ball.

Manager Domingos Paciencia gained confidence in his new commodity and gave the striker a solid run in the squad. Seizing the opportunity, van Wolfswinkel responded by delivering nine goals in his next 13 matches this season. Three came in the Europa League, one against Lazio standing out the most, a cheeky back heel at the near post following a good cross by a Diego Capel.

Extremely gifted inside the box, with a telepathic ability to find space and get into the right spot, van Wolfswinkel has all the right attributes to become a prolific goal machine. The Premier League is some players’ dream, and there are a handful of teams that could use someone of his stature.

Liverpool is in desperate need of goal production at the moment. Not to mention Spurs will have a couple of vacant spots to fill this summer, after Emmanuel Adebayor's loan deal expires and the likely sale of Roman Pavlyuchenko. Even Manchester United could jump into the bidding, with Michael Owen and Dmitar Berbatov not in the club’s long-term plans. Van Wolfswinkel could even don the No. 10 at Old Trafford in homage to his Dutch predecessor.

But the jump in class from Portugal to England might not be the right move at the moment. Just shy of his 23rd birthday, van Wolfswinkel still has time on his side and needs to make a decision based solely on his football.

The Bundesliga seems the better option for his long-term growth. Big-spending Bayern Munich could use another striker, with Mario Gomes being the lone front-man. Defending champions Borussia Dortmund could also enter the race in order to strengthen an already intimidating line-up.

This is just the beginning of what will be a well-documented career, so remember the initials RVW.

Thomas Michalakos is a former associate producer with Sportsnet's Soccercentral and writes the weekly blog Soccerholic365. Follow Thomas on Twitter here.