OPINION
West Ham midfielder Edimilison Fernandes is set to miss out on this years greatly anticipated World Cup, as Switzerland have left the 22-year-old out of their final squad.
Switzerland announced their final team by means of their official Twitter account on Monday afternoon, but the young Hammer will have to wait another four years for the next chance to represent his country at the World Cup.
Diese 23 Spieler wurden von Nationaltrainer Vladimir Petkovic ins endgültige Kader für den @FIFAWorldCup berufen.#HoppSchwiiz #HopSuisse #ForzaSvizzera #HopSvizra ??????#roadtorussia pic.twitter.com/07msySiqEu
— ?? Nati (@nati_sfv_asf) June 4, 2018
Fernandes was a hopeful in the lead up to the tournament, having been capped four times already at his young age, also being named in the preliminary 26 man squad prior to this announcement.
Since joining West Ham from FC Sion back in 2016, the midfielder has grown as a player, and already has over 40 appearances for the London based side, and looks to be a promising talent.
It seems that the Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic has opted to go for experience over youth, as he prepares his Switzerland side for the World Cup.
Fernandes’ omission from the squad does not come as a huge surprise, as the European side does boast some quality talent in the midfield area, so the option to take a 22-year-old with four caps over bonafide international midfielders like Granit Xhaka was not trusted.
Fernandes can definitely play, and it seems only a matter of time until he fully breaks into the Swiss team consistently, but more time developing as a player with West Ham is needed before this can happen.
The 22-year-old must now have his sights set on the Euros in 2020, which will leave him with plenty of time to develop. The opportunities are there for the young Swiss midfielder, and the chance to play in the Premier League can only serve him in good stead for the years to come.