Fernandes is the Portugal under-21 international on loan\u00a0from Sporting CP who has made 35 appearances in all competitions for Estoril Praia.<\/p>\n
The 20 year old is quickly becoming well-known in his home country, Portugal, after a breakout season starting regularly\u00a0in the Primeira Liga.<\/p>\n
The Saints have landed a bit of a surprise package with Fernandes as their third signing in less than a week, with not many having heard of the young midfielder, and have agreed a deal that could see them pay nearly \u00a316million for the youngster, who bolsters manager Russell Martin’s options in the middle.<\/p>\n
Fernandes initially rose to prominence as Sporting reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League in 2022\/23, beating the likes of Ajax. Sporting topped a group with Tottenham Hotspur, Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt, with Fernandes prominently scoring goals against the former two.<\/p>\n
Having only just turned 20\u00a0last month, Fernandes is being viewed domestically and internationally as an extremely high-potential player. He often represents Portugal’s youth teams as an attacking midfielder but featured as a left\u00a0eight in his last campaign at home.<\/p>\n
Fernandes has taken free-kicks, corners and penalties across his first-team appearances\u00a0for Sporting and Estoril, earning himself a respectable level of respect.<\/p>\n
A five-foot-10\u00a0all-rounder, he ranks in the top 10 per cent of positional peers across Europe’s non-top-five premier divisions in skills ranging from progressive ball carries going forward plus\u00a0tackles and blocks the other way, while he is just outside the top 10\u00a0for shot-creating actions.<\/p>\n
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