ENZO FERNANDEZ’S rise to superstardom has been a meteoric one.
A year ago the Premier League record signing was still playing his football in Argentina, before Benfica snapped him up in a transfer worth up to £16m.
But during his three years at River Plate, he was not the first name on the teamsheet that sprung out.
That accolade went to Julian Alvarez, now of Manchester City.
When Arsenal legend Robert Pires visited the club for a match a year ago, he was even asked if any players impressed him “in addition to Julian Alvarez”.
The former Invincible, who played for France but has a Spanish mother, replied in fluent Spanish.
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He said: “There are many [who impressed me]. The number 13 [Fernandez].
“He has a really good way of playing. He’s expressive. He always offers solutions to his team-mates. He’s very good on the ball.
“What I like most is he always wants to break the lines and play with the wingers. He tried to play with the striker.
“So for me, I loved everything I saw from Enzo.”
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Fernandez would burst on to the scene at the World Cup when he scored a wondergoal to give Argentina a 2-0 win in their crucial clash with Mexico.
But that would not have been a surprise to Pires, who said a month before the tournament that he felt Fernandez could be the difference-maker in midfield.
He told La Nacion: “I like Enzo a lot… Lo Celso, Paredes and De Paul have quality to play in midfield, in the heart.
“And there is De Paul, obviously, that I like a lot.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
