'He's a 6, an 8 and a 10' - Nigeria coach Peseiro hails Man Utd, Liverpool target Enzo Fernandez  

Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro has praised the versatility of Benfica rising star Enzo Fernández after his outstanding performances at the 2022 World Cup.

Fernández started the tournament in Qatar on the substitute bench, making cameos against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, but quickly forced his way into manager Lionel Scaloni's starting lineup, going the distance in the last four matches played by Argentina. 

The 21-year-old was considered the Best Young Player at the World Cup, an award previously won by Kylian Mbappe, Paul Pogba, Lukas Podolski and  Thomas Müller.

A product of River Plate in his native Argentina,  Fernández has also impressed in this season's UEFA Champions League and Portuguese Primeira Liga, making eighteen appearances combined in both competitions. 

It is envisaged that he won't be a player of Benfica next year, with several glamorous clubs interested in his services. 

Liverpool were admirers of Fernández even before his outstanding displays in Qatar and he's now attracting interest from Manchester United. 

He has a release clause of 120 million euros and Benfica have received an offer from an unnamed club in the region of 100 million euros,

Peseiro underlined that Fernández has matured beyond his years and has tipped him to become one of the best players in the world in future. 

"Some time ago I mentioned that with the maturity he shows, either Enzo is a genius or we are wrong about his age," Peseiro said to Record, via leonino.pt.

"At 21 years old, it's not normal to have the maturity he demonstrates. If everything goes according to normality and without injuries that disturb the growth process, Enzo will soon be one of the best midfielders in the world.

"It's not easy to play like he plays for Benfica. He is a 6, an 8 and a ten. He positions himself very well defensively, and when he has the ball he does what he did against Croatia.

"He fills the four moments of the game incredibly well. I don't know how long he will stay in Portugal, but it won't be much longer for sure."

Peseiro previously coached Portuguese clubs Porto, Sporting CP, Vitória Guimarães and Sporting Braga.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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