Six reasons why Man Utd want £80m-rated Mateus Fernandes… | OneFootball

Manchester United are having to fend off increasing interest in Mateus Fernandes, with most of the Big Six eyeing up the West Ham midfielder.

Fernandes has been the subject of enquiries from Tottenham Hotspur in recent days, with Manchester City and Liverpool also credited with an interest in the Portuguese talent.

But United seem to lead the chase for Fernandes, having been on his tail since before the end of the season, when the 21-year-old suffered his second relegation in successive seasons.

That Fernandes has shone in a wretched Southampton team and a West Ham side that has shown only sporadic form highlights the midfielder’s quality.

It also illustrates why West Ham are looking to more than double their money on a player they signed from Southampton for at least £38million a year ago.

That fee gave Saints a huge return on their £15million investment when they bought Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in 2024.

Here are five reasons United – and everyone else – are so keen to land Fernandes…

1) Age and potential

Fernandes is yet to turn 22, but he’s experienced more highs and lows in his career so far than many other 21-year-olds, adapting seamlessly to different environments, including a loan move away from Sporting Lisbon to Estoril for a season before Saints brought him to England just out of his teens.

Younger than the other elite Premier League midfielders set for big moves this summer – Adam Wharton (22), Elliot Anderson (23), Enzo Fernandez (25), Sandro Tonali (26) – there is also a feeling that Fernandes is still furthest from his ceiling.

Ex-Southampton coach and caretaker manager Simon Rusk worked with Fernandes at St Mary’s and spoke in glowing terms to Sky Sports about his mental toughness, his ‘growth mindset’, and how quickly he can take on board new information, technically and tactically.

In Fernandes, United see a midfielder who could be around for another decade, but one whose value has most room to increase from whatever they might agree to pay West Ham. Which brings us to…

2) Best value for money

We know how much emphasis United place on value, despite the millions they spaffed away prior to Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking control of the purse strings.

Of the Big Six, only United and Spurs are yet to pay £100million-plus for a player and they seem dead set against breaking that barrier this summer or any time soon, hence why Manchester City have a free run at Anderson.

There is no question United thought there was a bargain to be had when they began assessing their summer targets. The Red Devils will have been happy to watch West Ham fail to keep themselves afloat in the Premier League, assuming the Hammers could be squeezed on a fee for Fernandes.

At season’s end, United seemed to think they could get Fernandes for less than £60million. But it no longer looks as simple as that.

West Ham value Fernandes at £80million-85million, a starting point in negotiations which looks stronger than United would have hoped, owing to the growing interest from elsewhere and the Hammers’ new majority shareholder Daniel Kretinsky insisting the club does not need a fire sale.

Plus, West Ham will have to forward 15% of any fee to Southampton owing to their sell-on clause, which further incentivises the Hammers to play hard ball.

Still, at £80million, Fernandes seems to represent a fair deal. Wharton won’t be any cheaper; Newcastle have already turned down that fee for Tonali; Forest expect to bank around £120million for Anderson, while Chelsea are hardly likely to take much less than the £106million they paid for Fernandez.

3) Elite passing quality

The trait that most stands out in Fernandes’ skill set is the quality of his passing.

Our friends at Gradient Sports rank Fernandes sixth in the Premier League for ball distribution (graded 85.9, just above £100million-plus men Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo), while his passing grade places him sixth among 102 eligible centre-midfielders, behind only Wharton of the four midfielders mentioned above.

Drilling down further into his passing range, among centre-midfielders, Fernandes is graded as the best one-touch passer (83.6); third for through-ball passing (83.0); and fourth for over-the-top passing (82.9).

Unless Michael Carrick has some shape shifts up his sleeves, Fernandes would be expected to play as part of a double pivot in midfield, where he has shown an impressive willingness to take the ball in tight spaces before offering a different passing dimension to what the Red Devils already have.

And if opponents step off and allow Fernandes to carry the ball, his 81.0 dribbling grade ranks him fourth among all Premier League centre-midfielders.

Out of possession too, Fernandes proved to be one of the best midfielders last season…

4) An all-round midfielder

Much has been made of Anderson as the best all-round midfielder on the market this summer – including on these pages – but Fernandes offers not only an ideal foil for the England star but also a cheaper alternative.

Gradient ranks Fernandes eighth among Premier League midfielders for tackling (80.8), but the raw numbers look even more encouraging.

Fernandes won the third-highest number of tackles across all positions last season and the third-highest number of ground duels. Anderson was fifth and first respectively.

5) Versatility across midfield

That Fernandes has established himself so quickly as one of the Premier League’s deep-lying midfielders is more surprising when you consider that he wasn’t brought to England to play as one.

In his first season at Southampton, Fernandes was used most as an attacking midfielder, even once as a false nine. For West Ham too, Fernandes has played across the midfield towards either flank.

But it is from the middle at the base of the West Ham midfield that the 21-year-old has really excelled.

His profile would certainly offer Carrick more options in midfield. United currently play a double pivot behind Bruno Fernandes in the no.10 role, but if United are without their skipper – temporarily or more permanently – then Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo could play higher as 8s.

Ederson also offers a similar option. Should United sign Fernandes after the Brazilian, it will be fascinating to see what Carrick has in mind. Especially since Manuel Ugarte’s departure could leave United still needing one more midfielder.

6) Always available

If United sign Ederson and Fernandes while waving off Casemiro and Ugarte, they remain light on midfield numbers, especially given their increased workload this season.

So it helps that Fernandes has demonstrated remarkable reliability since arriving in the Premier League.

As a 20-year-old, he started 34 of the 36 games after he signed; he was only on the bench for the first two games immediately after arriving in late August. He missed only one other Saints game due to suspension.

At West Ham he featured in every game for which he was available, starting all but one game when he came off the bench to score at Leeds. Of all central midfielders, only Anderson and James Garner made more starts in the Premier League.