Forgive David Ayala if it’s taken a moment for him to get going.

Coming off a 2023 season that saw the 21-year-old limited to four games due to a pair of injuries — including a season-ending torn ACL late last April — seeing the pitch hasn’t exactly been a given for the Portland Timbers’ defensive midfielder.

Here in late June, though, as the Timbers (6-6-7, 24 points) ride a streak of five unbeaten, Ayala has done more than ramp it up: He’s turned in consistently stellar shifts, acting often as a conduit for plaudits from coach Phil Neville.

“He’s been fantastic,” Neville said after Tuesday’s training. “He’s getting a run in the team now. He’s getting more fitness, confidence. He’s been out for a long time, so I think that that alone means you’ve got to give him time to just get himself back involved.

“I think he’s really helping the team in terms of the way that he wins the ball. His aggression, his technical ability is really good, and we’ve got real competition for a place in there now. I’m a big fan of his.”

It’s high praise for a 21-year-old. Ask Ayala, though, and he’ll tell you that type of thing doesn’t go to his head. A U22 Initiative signing from Argentina’s Estudiantes, he’s been operating at the professional level for half a decade.

“It’s a normal thing for me,” he told the Oregonian/OregonLive Tuesday. “It doesn’t really make a difference.”

Ayala has appeared in all but two matches this season for Portland. Yet early in the season, as the Timbers were discovering their identity, the youthful midfielder’s minute load was about as unreliable as the team itself. He played more than 45 minutes just twice until a May 18 start in Minnesota. There, he turned in an excellent shift before a 69th-minute sub. That match ignited a stretch of starts in which he’s played less than 75 minutes on just one occasion while acting as one of the group’s most consistent contributors.

“I honestly feel great,” Ayala said. “I feel better every time with our coach giving me more minutes, so I’m really happy about that and just trying to get better each day.”

He is a valued defensive presence in the box with his aerial chops, as well as a speedy enough option to aid in the Timbers’ press and attempts to break through opponents’ lines. Really, said Ayala, he can do a bit of everything; a telltale sign that he’s been picking up the knowledge laid down by one of the organization’s most storied players.

Amid a crowded multi-talented midfield group, the youthful Ayala has no shortage of supportive outlets. Diego Chara, who set a MLS record for most regular-season appearances with one club (377) earlier this season, is a guiding light for the Timbers’ rising talent.

“That’s a beautiful experience and I feel like I’ve learned many things from him,” Ayala said. “I don’t have to ask him for advice, he gives it to me.”

Ayala welcomes the feedback in the same vein in which he welcomes the other half of his relationship with Neville. The coach has toed a fine line with the midfielder. He’s been effusive in his praise, but open about where the next steps must come.

“He’s not played a 90-minute game yet,” Neville said, “but that’s the next big step for him. Seventy-to-75 minutes is a time where he tends to just hit a bit of a brick wall. Now can he push himself through that? Can he keep his concentration? Can he keep his levels of quality? That’s the next step.”

After Neville’s Tuesday comments, Ayala put in his longest shift of the season, tallying 86 until a late sub amid a 2-1 win over the Earthquakes in San Jose on Wednesday.

All of a sudden, 14 months post-ACL tear, that 90-minute mark seems wholly attainable for Ayala.

-- Shane Hoffmann for The Oregonian/OregonLive