By Conor Hogan

West Ham beat Sunderland 3-1 today and once again, Mateus Fernandes was outstanding. 

The Portuguese international put in an immense performance, scoring a screamer from almost 30 yards out and showing great composure and creativity on the ball. In a game where every West Ham played well to some degree, Fernandes was the stand-out performer – and often has been for the Irons this season.

The 21-year-old has been by far West Ham’s best player since his arrival, consistently putting in excellent performances for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side. The former Southampton man has everything needed to be an elite midfielder: energy, vision, composure, tenacity and a wonderful right foot for striking a ball.

Fernandes’ abilities have also gotten the best out of his teammates in recent games. His vision has been key to the success of Crysencio Summerville in recent games, and his ability to play as a box-to-box midfielder has allowed Tomáš Souček to be more effective for the Irons.

He has incredibly maturity, especially for a player so young, and I have often described him as Lucas Paquetá without the antics. The Brazilian looks set to depart London Stadium this month, and when he has previously been close to a move away, many West Ham fans have been concerned at the prospect. But Fernandes provides an alternative that isn’t just an ample replacement – it’s an upgrade.

In fact, when I watch Fernandes, Paquetá isn’t the player he reminds me of. In my opinion, the 21-year-old is more like Declan Rice: the way he efficiently wins the ball back, before striding forward and picking an excellent pass is so similar to the former Irons skipper, and I’d argue that Fernandes shows more maturity in his performances than Rice did at his age.

I, like many Hammers supporters, have sung Fernandes’ praises ever since he made his debut in August – and if West Ham are relegated this season, I’ll be disappointed to see him go, as he is too good to be playing for a bottom-half Premier League side, never mind a Championship side.

He has only been here a matter of months, but I say the following without an ounce of exaggeration: 

Mateus Fernandes is one of the most talented players I have ever seen play for West Ham. He is currently much closer to the likes of Dimitri Payet in 2016 or Declan Rice in 2022 than one might think. He is one of the league’s most exciting young players, and in the words of Harry Redknapp: “He will go right to the very top”.