Pablo Zabaleta lifts lid on Enzo Fernandez transfer prospects amid Man Utd and Man City links

As always, the World Cup is putting new players into the limelight and Enzo Fernandez is no exception.

The 21-year-old midfielder played a key role in Argentina's turnaround in form after their initial 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the group stages. He scored in the team's 2-0 win against Mexico and assisted former River Plate teammate Julian Alvarez for the side's third goal against Poland.

Fans and pundits alike have been singing his praises with some even saying he is as important as Lionel Messi to Argentina's World Cup chances in Qatar. And after his performance against Poland, former Man City defender Pablo Zabaleta was incredibly complimentary of Fernandez's ability.

Zabaleta told BBC: "He’s been really good in both games, he’s been one of the best players for Argentina. He’s only 21 but he’s been fantastic and I think next summer, he will go to a big club. He’s got vision, his passing and shooting ability is great. He can play as a number four but also as a number eight."

This will be music to Man City and Manchester United's ears, who are both reportedly interested in signing the midfielder this summer.

Benfica signed Fernandez from River Plate this summer for only €12m and he has been incredible under new manager Roger Schmidt. Not only are the side top of the Portuguese League table by eight points they also topped their group in the Champions League ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.

According to the Portuguese outlet Record, however, Fernandez will not come cheap. The midfielder has a €103m release clause and Benfica will only accept offers that activate it, so City or United will have to attribute a significant portion of their transfer budget to bring him to Manchester.