90min

Enzo Fernandez watched by Man Utd amid Premier League interest

By Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey

Enzo Fernandez only moved to Benfica in the summer, but could be snapped up by a European giant
Enzo Fernandez only moved to Benfica in the summer, but could be snapped up by a European giant / Jonathan Moscrop/GettyImages
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Manchester United are among a number of clubs paying close attention to Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernandez and have scouted the player in recent weeks, 90min understands.

Fernandez joined Benfica from River Plate in July, and has set European football alight since making the move - helping his club to an unbeaten start in this season's Portuguese Primeira Liga and through the group stages of the Champions League.

Benfica have already reached the last 16 ahead of Juventus, qualifying alongside Paris Saint-Germain.

21-year-old Fernandez has been tracked by a number of Premier League clubs for months - the likes of United, Manchester City and Newcastle were interested prior to his move to Benfica - though Wolves came closest to bringing him to England last summer before he chose to move to Portugal.

Wolves representatives even flew out to South America to tie up a transfer, but a deal was signed off with Benfica before they arrived. They ended up signing Matheus Nunes from Sporting CP.

Scott Saunders hosts Graeme Bailey and Toby Cudworth in the latest episode of Talking Transfers. The team discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd future, interest in Naby Keita and a decision looming for Harry Kane. Available on all audio platforms.

If you can't see the podcast embed, click here to download the episode in full!

United have though continued to track his progress during his time in Europe and have watched him in recent weeks, though they are not alone in their continued interest.

Erik ten Hag's side signed Casemiro from Real Madrid in the summer after spending a number of months chasing Frenkie de Jong, and ultimately failing to get the deal over the line. United's interest in the Dutchman remains but it's understood his camp will reassess the situation at the end of the season before making a decision on next steps.

United are limited for ball-playing options in central midfield and are heavily reliant on Christian Eriksen's creativity from deeper positions, though his defensive capabilities have come into question at times this season.

Scott McTominay and Fred are other midfield options but have known limitations, and midfield is an area United are likely looking to address in upcoming transfer windows.

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