Despite claims of an agreement, Liverpool target started in Friday night’s 3-0 loss.

Enzo Fernandez appears to be on the move in the January transfer window

The Argentine midfielder has been linked with every team under the sun, with rival rumours claiming that he has agreed to join Chelsea and Liverpool.

Indeed, both the Blues and the Reds were said to be closing in on this deal, but that no longer appears to be the case.

It was also rumored earlier this week that Fernandez would miss Benfica’s game against Braga to work on a move, so imagine his surprise when he was named to the starting XI for that game on Friday evening.

Fernandez returned to the club right away, but it seemed that his mind was elsewhere as he put in a stifling effort in a 3-0 loss.

It’s intriguing that Benfica elected to start Fernandez in this game. His head is most likely not in Lisbon right now, and a severe injury in this game could have scuttled any potential move this month.

Of course, Fernandez is still a Benfica player, and they have every right to use him whenever they see fit, but given that he was expected to miss this game earlier this week, his selection was a bit of a surprise.

It remains to be seen whether this is Fernandez’s final game for Benfica. The Portuguese club appears to want to keep him for as long as they can, but with continual rumors about Chelsea and Liverpool, it may only be a matter of time until Fernandez takes a plane to England to join with a new team.

One thing is certain: if he is to be a success in the Premier League, he will need to play better than he did on Friday.