Jose Mourinho is reportedly intending to send Gedson Fernandes back to Benfica in January after his time at Tottenham did not work out.
Spurs landed the midfield in January 2020 on an 18-month loan deal with a £42.76m option to buy.
Fernandes was Mourinho’s first signing at the club and Spurs beat the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham to the 21-year-old’s signature, with the trio of clubs all linked with a move for him in the winter.
Mourinho said of the deal: “He’s what I used to call a special loan.”
However, things have not gone well for the youngster, who has made just one start in the EFL Cup this season.
Mourinho has included him in just one Premier League squad so far this season and he has a number of midfielders ahead of him in the pecking order.
Now Portuguese publications Record and A Bola report that the player looks likely to be heading back to Portugal in January.
That would mean ending his loan spell six months early, but Mourinho clearly does not trust the youngster, who did not start a Premier League game last season.
The Spurs boss tried him in a right back role over the summer against Ipswich, and praised his performance.
Right-back role
“I have no Aurier, no Tanganga, Gedson played at right-back for the first time – and he was really, really good,” said Mourinho.
Football.London claimed that Mourinho had been working for months to turn Fernandes into a right-back. However, he then signed Matt Doherty from Wolves and Serge Aurier stayed put.
“He is playing, he is playing in different positions, he gives us what we always thought he could give us – options. As a kid, you always expect that next season will be better,” said Mourinho in March.
Mourinho though appears to have made his mind up on the player, who was also omitted from Spurs’ Europa League squad.
He has been included in Spurs’ Premier League squad though as he qualifies as an Under-21 player after being born after January 1, 1999.
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