Benfica coach Roger Schmidt expects to see the ‘excellent’ Enzo Fernandez stay in Portugal beyond January despite interest from Premier League giants Liverpool, speaking to Record.
The Merseyside giants rolled back the years on Sunday afternoon, Jurgen Klopp doing his best Mark Twain impression while proving that rumours of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Then again, seven of the Liverpool players who took to the field during that nail-biting 1-0 victory over Manchester City were aged 30 or over. There is life yet in this old dog, but an old dog it remains.
When 2023 rolls around, expect to see Liverpool step up their pursuit of some fresh blood; Enzo Fernandez joining the likes of Matheus Nunes and Jude Bellingham on the club’s transfer wishlist.
The all-action Argentine has been, to quote Schmidt, has been in ‘excellent form’ since joining Benfica from River Plate; turning down Wolverhampton Wanderers in favour of the Portuguese capital. The former Bayer Leverkusen and PSV coach is losing no sleep, meanwhile, about reports suggesting that Fernandez is one of Liverpool’s leading midfield targets.
A January departure, Schmidt says, is highly unlikely.
Benfica star Enzo Fernandez a target for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool
“My son likes Enzo, the way he plays and so do I. Everybody likes him. He plays good football,” says the 55-year-old German, who has won 14 of lost none of his 17 Benfica games.
“I don’t foresee not having Enzo after the World Cup. He’s where he’s supposed to be to develop. It’s very good for him and for us if we stay a while longer at Benfica.
“I think he’s in excellent form. On Tuesday, (a 1-1 Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain), he played an excellent game.”
Dangerously close to becoming the complete midfielder even before his 22nd birthday, Enzo Fernandez looks certain to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Angel di Maria in Lisbon; enhancing his reputation this side of the Atlantic before moving on for a colossal sum. A big-money departure can wait, however, with Benfica looking to win only their second Primeira Liga title in six years.
“A big future,” Argentina captain Lionel Messi says of Fernandez, who now looks certain of a place in Lionel Scaloni’s Qatari World Cup squad. “Enzo is very intelligent. He is a player with a lot of personality, a good pass. Spectacular.”
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