Mateus Fernandes insisted he couldn’t have wished for a better start to life in Claret and Blue after playing a key role in Sunday’s thrilling 3-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest on his West Ham United debut.
The 21-year-old completed his move to east London from Southampton on Friday, and was thrust straight into the action at the City Ground just two days later, as the Irons looked to get their first points of 2025/26 on the board.
Graham Potter’s men did just that at the home of last season’s seventh-place side, who are set to compete in the UEFA Europa League this term, with an organised defensive display being combined with a ruthless streak in attack, that yielded decisive late goals from Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paquetá and Callum Wilson.
Contributing a total of 34 touches, 23 passes and three tackles during his 82 minutes on the pitch, Fernandes was full of smiles following a job well done, with the result representing the perfect way to sign off for the international break.
“It was a perfect debut for me,” our No18 said. “I gave everything out there, and I think as a team we did very well.
“I think we deserved it. Over the last couple of days, training has been good, and though we knew they were a good team, we fully believed we could come here and win. We have world-class players with many qualities, and we showed that out there.
“They’re a very physical team, but we matched them, and we set the foundations in the first half. We tried to be intense and win every duel, and we’re really happy to come out of it with the points.
“Now, we just need to be more consistent going forward. There are still things we know we can improve, but we are confident we can keep winning games and achieve our goals.”
While the Premier League will now be put on ice for two weeks while international football takes centre stage, Fernandes is one of several Hammers who will head off to represent his country with confidence and momentum after Sunday’s victory.
The Algarve native has been called up to Portugal’s U21 squad, for two 2027 UEFA European U21 Championship Group B qualifiers in early September, and as he readies himself for enticing clashes against Azerbaijan and Scotland, he delivered a thank you message to the West Ham United supporters for making him feel so welcome at the Club.
Fernandes added: “Now I’m going to play for my country, which I’m looking forward to. I will give everything, but then I will come back and be ready to give everything again to West Ham.
“The fans have sent me lots of messages on social media, and already I can feel that I’m going to be very, very happy here.
“I am going to try and give everything in every game, to try and get the win for the supporters. I look forward to seeing them all again soon.”
