Bilic jokingly suggests West Ham player needs to borrow something from his cousin

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The West Ham United midfielder has struggled to settle in his debut season with the club.

West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic spoke to reporters ahead of his side’s clash against Sunderland tomorrow, and highlighted the qualities of Edimilson Fernandes, sharing his ‘huge’ plans for the Swiss star next season, as quoted by the club’s official website.

West Ham signed the 20-year-old from FC Sion in the summer of 2016, for a fee believed to be in the region of £5.5 million, but he has taken his time to settle in East London, making just three Premier League starts for Bilic’s side this season.

The Croatian is adamant that Fernandes will come good, however, sharing his belief that he will become a top player, as quoted by WHUFC.com:

“When we signed Edi most of the people, were a little surprised. He is not starting a lot but he is playing. The impact he has made is quite significant. Our plans for him in the next season are huge. I am expecting him to be a top player. I spoke to him a few times and he has to learn his English much better and he has already made a big step considering he came at the age of 20. I spoke to him about the language and we are helping him, it is key. He has improved a lot, but he has to do better. I spoke to his cousin who is playing in France, Gelson Fernandes who speaks five languages, perhaps he can loan Edi one!”

West Ham United’s Edimilson Fernandes

The Hammers squad has certainly been exposed as well below par this season, with a lack of both quality and strength in depth leading to an underwhelming campaign as a whole.

And many of their poor performances this season could be attributed to their weakness in the middle of the park, what with Mark Noble regressing from last term, Havard Nordtveit failing to settle and persistent injury problems for the likes of Pedro Obiang and Cheikhou Kouyate.

So maybe now is the time for the Switzerland international to come to the fore, and show his manager and the West Ham fans what he is truly capable of.

West Ham United’s Edimilson Fernandes