Enzo Fernández: ‘These figures are nothing to do with me. It’s football’

‘I t’s all gone very quickly,” Enzo Fernández says as he reflects on breaking into the first team at River Plate, emerging from the shadows to become an important figure in Argentina’s World Cup triumph and “the nerves kicking in” as the minutes ticked away before he finally joined Chelsea for £106.8m on the final day of the transfer window.

“It’s really just three years, my professional career. A lot has happened in a very short time. I still feel like I’m in a period of apprenticeship – a learning period, still a learning curve.”

That may sound like an odd analysis from the most expensive player in the history of English football but, coming from the former Benfica midfielder, it feels right. Fernández, voted the best young player at the World Cup, has never pretended to have all the answers.

The 22-year-old moved to Europe only last summer and, when he made his debut for River three years ago, he did not get cocky; he considered his lack of subsequent playing opportunities, went on loan and continued his development at Defensa y Justicia under the guidance of the former Chelsea and Argentina striker Hernán Crespo.

“I’ve learned something at every stage of my career,” Fernández says. “But you’d have to say River was the club where I really learned my stuff. They really developed me as a person, on and off the field. River were the ones who opened the door to Europe for me. Then, to win the World Cup with that amazing group of players, it’s a dream isn’t it?

“It’s so hard to win the World Cup. But we had players with ability and a really strong mentality. You never lose that desire to learn. That’s what’s always signified my style, my play and my training – wanting to improve, wanting to be better as a footballer and