Slaven Bilic has hailed the impact made by Edmilison Fernandes following the Swiss youngster’s encouraging start to life with West Ham United.
The 20-year-old arrived from Sion in August, with the £5.5 million transfer generating relatively little interest from a media who were largely unaware of the midfielder’s considerable talents.
With the Swiss Super League not available to view on British television, Fernandes’ outstanding abilities flew under the radar – until now!
After impressing as a left wing-back in the 1-0 Premier League win over Sunderland last weekend, the No31 produced an even better display in the midweek EFL Cup victory over Chelsea, scoring a fine first goal for the club to clinch a 2-1 success.
“It’s a great thing to see him make an impact like he has,” said Bilic. “It’s always great to see a new player doing well, especially if it’s a young player like he is.
“We shouldn’t forget that he’s only 20-years-old, he came to a new country and doesn’t speak great English, so it was probably hard for him.
“But since the first day, he has been really good and positive and very brave in training and you could see from the start that he’s a very talented player.
While relatively unknown in these parts prior to his arrival, Fernandes is no rookie, having played more than 100 times for Sion, including eight times in last season's UEFA Europa League. He also netted for his club in their 2015 Swiss Cup final win over Basel.
With maturity and composure beyond his years, Bilic is excited about the prospect of working with the youngster in seasons to come.
“He is very comfortable on the ball in different positions and I’m sure that him, the Club, the fans and all of us are going to benefit from him, big time. He has got everything.”