Ederson is the perfect blend of silk and steel... his double save and nerve to square up to Jose Mourinho showed why he is Man City's unsung hero

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Under the right ear of Manchester City’s Ederson are two of his 34 tattoos — a rose, and beside it, a skull.

It is fitting imagery for a goalkeeper whose blend of silk and steel, beauty and beast, impresses more by the week.

First to the beast. As Jose Mourinho entered the approach to the Manchester City dressing room at Old Trafford on Sunday, Ederson entered centre stage. He fronted up to the United manager.

Manchester City's Ederson offers so much more than just a conventional goalkeeper does

Ederson's rose tattoo is visible on the right side of his neck as he arrives at training on Monday

First Mourinho was unhappy with City’s loud music and celebrations. Then the pair began to exchange barbs in Portuguese, and Ederson did not back down.

He was an obstinate last line of defence and equally unmoved on the front line by Mourinho’s presence.

In the end, Mourinho was left so agitated he reportedly returned to English and shouted: ‘You f*****g show respect. Who are you?’ This was the preamble to the pantomime episode of Punch and Jose that played out at Old Trafford.

Ederson’s courage is already well-known at City. Coaching staff were impressed when he received eight stitches to his face following a horror lunge by Sadio Mane against Liverpool and then declared himself fit to play three days later away to Feyenoord. 

The Brazilian spread himself brilliantly to deny Romelu Lukaku and preserve City's victory

Ederson's stop denied Manchester United an equaliser and secured the three points for City

He may now enjoy the perks of a superstar lifestyle, sauntering into training on Monday in his red Ferrari 458 sports car, but he learned his trade playing small-sided games on the streets of Sao Paulo, often competing against older boys with jumpers for goalposts and only nightfall ending the fun.

He has coped admirably with everything the Premier League demands of a goalkeeper.

Fearless to the end, he took the ball flush in the face when Romelu Lukaku fired towards goal from point-blank range but in the showman style of every great goalkeeper, he sprang up from the canvas and sprawled to his right to then deny Juan Mata on the rebound.

Yet under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, Ederson is already so much more than a goalkeeper of courage and reflexes.

Brazil international Ederson has a remarkable array of 34 tattoos spread across his body  

Ederson's comfort on the ball was nurtured while growing up on the streets of Sao Paolo

The Brazilian goalkeeper drives his red Ferrari into City's training ground on Monday morning

He is a Brazilian blessed with a first touch that would grace most Premier League midfields.

He started out in junior football as a left back — only deciding to become a goalkeeper when he got bored of all that running. At the age of 15, Ederson was scouted by an agent working for Jorge Mendes and he joined Benfica.

He spent time at Ribeirao and Rio Ave in the Portuguese leagues before getting his break at Benfica following an injury to former Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar in the spring of 2016.

One year later, Ederson received a private phone call from Guardiola. The Manchester City manager knew his qualities.

Ederson's rose and skull tattoos on his neck reflect the contrast between his silk and steel

He committed £34.9million, a Premier League record fee for a goalkeeper and double the figure Manchester United invested in David de Gea in 2011.

Back in June, City took a risk on a 23-year-old, with just over a year of experience as Benfica’s first-choice goalkeeper and at that stage still to be capped by Brazil.

Yet his faith has been entirely vindicated. Ederson has adapted rapidly, helped by Guardiola’s insistence that players eat breakfast and lunch together at the club’s training ground and take English language classes.

For Guardiola, Ederson was the summer signing that simply had to work. The decision to axe Joe Hart and introduce the error-prone Claudio Bravo damaged Guardiola’s aspirations in his first year in English football.

Never mind a false nine, City appeared to have a false No 1.

Ederson is outperforming Claudio Bravo in every category, the man he replaced as City's No 1

Bravo had the lowest shot-to-save ratio of any goalkeeper to have played 10 or more Premier League games last season. And during a nine-game run over winter, he conceded 16 goals from 24 shots on his goal.

Ederson is outperforming Bravo by every measure. His passing accuracy in his first 16 Premier League games stands at 84 per cent compared to Bravo’s average of 73 per cent last season. His save percentage is 68 to Bravo’s 55. Ederson concedes 0.69 goals per game to Bravo’s 1.18.

It has not been perfect. There was an error when Ederson rushed out of his goal in a pre-season defeat by United and he repeated the mistake during the loss at Shakhtar Donetsk last week.

Yet Guardiola will forgive Ederson the odd indulgence, just as he did for Manuel Neuer during his time at Bayern Munich.

Ederson still faces a battle for the Brazil No 1 jersey, with Roma’s Alisson currently ahead in the pecking order.

In Manchester, however, the Brazilian looks set to be on top for a long time to come.