A players training speed will slow down regardless of whether you've assigned the skill points.
Say a player has just turned 4*, you power train him until you have 74 skill points saved up, once you get the 75th one his training speed will drop as he is technically now a 5* player in the eyes of the game engine.
This is why, if you are going down the road of 'moulding' players it's always best to apply a SA or an extra position first, when the player still trains fast enough to make it worthwhile, and then you assign them to his 'quality'.