Finally breaking his way into West Ham’s first team plans, Edimilson Fernandes is also a fully fledged Switzerland international now.
Well, he’s probably about to be.
Called up to Vladimir Petkovic’s squad to potentially play in the World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands, there’s a strong chance the 20-year-old could get his first cap in the coming days.
Having demonstrated his ability at U21 level, Fernandes has now made seven appearances for West Ham under Slaven Bilic, even scoring a goal in a 2-1 win over Chelsea in the EFL Cup.
Speaking to the press, relayed by Le Matin in Switzerland, the youngster explained how adapting to the Premier League demands was the reason for his delay breaking into Bilic’s plans.
He said: “I had to go up a gear at training. It’s true that I didn’t really have a choice did I?”
Asked about the Premier League, he continued: “I see it everyday. The fanaticism around the Premier League is there, around each street corner. I don’t really go out unrecognised anymore when I leave the house. It’s true that West Ham is a very popular club with his 50,000 season ticket holders.”
Despite being there since the 25th of August after a £5.5m transfer from FC Sion towards the end of the transfer window, Fernandes still has to pinch himself at times when he sees some of the players he gets to play with at training.
He explained: “To find myself, at 20, at a club with players as good as Dimitri Payet and André Ayew, I never thought I’d be able to do this. I was a bit scared to be on the bench with the competition around me. And I was very attached to Sion…”
Clearly extremely talented, and with age very much on his side, Edimilson Fernandes has all the attributes to be a future star in the Premier League.
For now, though: “The rules are simple: You win your spot in the team in training, regardless of where you stand.”
So far, he’s winning.
