West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes has named Man United captain Bruno Fernandes as his “biggest” role model.
Speaking after he was called up to Portugal’s senior squad, Fernandes was asked about the player he most admires, and he replied:
“The biggest one right now is Bruno [Fernandes] because of the player he already is. Back when I was at Sporting, I looked up to him and tried to learn from him.”
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“He plays in the same league as me, he has a lot of experience with the national team, and in the Premier League, I try to watch him a lot. Without a doubt, he stands out.”
The two Fernandes’s have followed similar trajectories
It’s not hard to see why the Hammers star sees a kindred spirit in the Man United star. While Bruno did start his professional career in Italy, he made his name when he moved back to Portugal to play for Sporting Lisbon. Of course, the midfielder then made the switch to the Premier League.
Mateus also played for Sporting, although he didn’t make many appearances for the first team before making a similar move to English football.
Of course, the West Ham man is much earlier in his journey than Man United’s talisman, with there being a 10-year gap between them.
The West Ham midfielder could soon receive his 1st senior cap
While Fernandes has played 18 times for Portugal’s Under 21s, he has never made an appearance for his country at senior level.
Roberto Martinez’s side play Mexico in a friendly on Sunday before facing the United States on Wednesday week.
Fernandes will undoubtedly be hoping to get some minutes in one or both of those matches before returning to his club.
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