Mateus Fernandes ‘practically everywhere’ as Portugal Under-21 equal record
West Ham star Mateus Fernandes will have enjoyed his time away from London.
Fernandes joined West Ham this summer, in a £40million deal from Southampton, after they were relegated from the Premier League.
Fernandes was viewed as a solid buy from West Ham, but he has so far struggled to have an influence on proceedings at the London Stadium.
Perhaps he can become a key figure after his latest exploits away from Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side.
Mateus Fernandes stars in Portugal Under-21 rout
Fernandes was one of several West Ham stars that were on international duty, and his Portugal Under-21 side made history, beating Gibraltar Under-21s 11-0.
That equalled their biggest ever win at that level, on a historic night for the Hammers ace and his teammates.
A report from Mais Futebol on 14 October claims that Portugal’s play ran through Fernandes on the monumental evening.
They said: “Mateus Fernandes, the West Ham midfielder was practically everywhere, and Portugal’s play almost always passed through his feet.
“With above-average technical ability, Fernandes placed the ball wherever he wanted, transforming the National Team’s play into something more difficult to predict, and even managed to add his name to the scoreboard with a first-time shot that kept the ball from hitting the pitch.”
West Ham need Fernandes to step up
Fernandes is one of the most creative players among the squad at Rush Green, Nuno needs him to show it in the next few weeks.
The E20 outfit face Brentford, Leeds and Newcastle in their next three Premier League matches, and are currently in the relegation zone.
- Fernandes has featured five times for the East London club
- He has yet to score or assist for the Hammers since joining
- He has 19 caps for the Under-21s and has scored three goals in those matches
Nuno needs the attacking midfielder to gel with the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson, and start to get his Hammers side ticking, especially going forward and steer them away from the drop zone.
Fernandes was bought for a huge sum, and he needs to start justifying that fee in the coming weeks, and help save the Irons.
If he cannot, he may end up in the second tier once again, and have to find another escape route like the one he found from the Saints.
Hopefully, he can make his impact known soon, as he did for his nation, albeit not against a particularly formidable opposition.
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