After joining the Yellow Submarine from Bournemouth for €25m, the Netherlands international has made a sensational start to his time in Spain

Arnaut Danjuma follows his goals with a ‘cobra’ celebration, but right-backs across Spain might find a real snake easier to catch.

The slippery Dutchman has gone from the Championship to the Champions League without batting an eyelid at the transition. He’s also been in sizzling form in La Liga for Villarreal, netting four goals in his first seven games – an impressive tally from the left-wing.

Danjuma’s instant impact in Spain has surprised many, but probably not coach Unai Emery, who asked president Fernando Roig to sign the winger this summer.

The former Arsenal manager must have made a strong case because Villarreal splashed out €25 million (£21m/$29m) on the Bournemouth man – a large transfer fee by recent Spanish standards.

While giants Real Madrid and Barcelona picked up David Alaba and Memphis Depay on free transfers, Villarreal made Danjuma the second-most expensive signing in their history, behind Paco Alcacer.

“We spend what we can and we need great players like Danjuma to grow,” Villarreal vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza said at the 24-year-old’s presentation.

“That nobody had to leave [to make the deal happen] shows we are in a great position. Some people buy bad watches and others a Rolex. We bought a Rolex.”

The Europa League winners were looking for a player who could help them jump forward to the next level and Danjuma is keeping his part of the bargain, even if things haven’t gone as planned for the Yellow Submarine.

Down in 12th in the table, no team has more draws than Villarreal on five. They also have one point from their first two Champions League games, although Danjuma’s performance against Manchester United deserved more.

The forward was the most electric player on the pitch, despite sharing it with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, Jason Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and other stars.