DAILY MAIL
Dutch legend Wesley Sneijder tore into English record signing Enzo Fernandez after a lacklustre showing at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.
The former Ajax, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan midfielder directed his ire at the World Cup winner after Chelsea failed to find the back of the net at home, handing the Spanish giants a 4-0 victory on aggregate.
Defeat in west London now all but seals Chelsea’s fortunes next season, with the club set to go without European competition for the first time in seven years.
The exit also serves to cap an inconsistent season that has seen the Blues compete under four different managers whilst welcoming an influx of players that has left them with a worryingly bloated squad.
Despite being one of the newcomers, Fernandez immediately became a regular starter, but on Tuesday night, Sneijder felt that the Argentine player failed to live up to his price tag.
On punditry duty for Dutch broadcaster RTL7, Sneijder snapped: ‘If you have been brought in as a player for €100million [his move cost Chelsea €121m, or £107m] then you can at least expect that he will run his lungs out, right?
‘But he walked! He loses the ball himself, then he has a moment of mourning. You see Enzo, a €100m purchase [sic], trudge a bit while Gallagher runs past him.
‘That is not possible, it must be addressed.’
Sneijder was referencing Fernandez looking off pace moments before Real Madrid’s opener, which saw Rodrygo skip down the right wing to send the ball skimming past the goalmouth, only for Vinicius Jr to collect the pass and cutback to his Brazilian compatriot to score from close range.
‘You look at a boy like that and I wonder: what does he take ownership of? He doesn’t. I’d call that boy on the mat tomorrow,’ Sneijder continued.
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