Glenn Hoddle believes Chelsea will not see the best of their record signing Enzo Fernandez until he has the opportunity to play alongside a fully-fit N’Golo Kante.
Fernandez has made two appearances for the Blues since his record-breaking transfer from Benfica on the deadline day.
In these two matches, he played in two different systems.
On his debut against Fulham, he played in a midfield three alongside Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher, while against West ham last Saturday, it was a double pivot alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
He played impressively well in both, especially the latter, in which he registered an assist and was named the man of the match.
Hoddle, however, insisted that these were not the best version of the Argentina international.
“We probably won’t see the very best of Enzo Fernandez until next season when N’Golo Kante is fit, or if they bring in someone else to play the holding role,” the former Blues manager told 90min.
This implies that Hoddle sees Fernandez as a roaming playmaker, rather than a number six, and he might be right.
The 2022 World Cup winner is an exceptional ball winner, but allowing him to operate freely in more advanced areas can unlock his playmaking potential, which he showed already last weekend.
It is arguably a similar case to Cesc Fabregas a few years ago. Fernandez may need his own Nemanja Matic.
Kante is not exactly a holding midfielder, as he tends to chase the ball, instead. That said, his defensive work rate and output more than make up for his occasional lack of positional discipline.
Fortunately for Chelsea, they may not have to wait until next season before Fernandez can play alongside Kante.
The France international is reportedly close to an injury return and reportedly could return as early as next week.
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