Man Utd ready to capitalise on PL club’s struggles by stealing their ‘standout’ £42m midfielder after only one season

Manchester United will be ready to pounce on a move for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes in the event the London club are relegated come the end of the campaign.As things stand, the Irons sit 18th-placed in the Premier League table, but are level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest and only one point behind Tottenham Hotspur in 16th.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYMateus Fernandes planning for West Ham exit if they drop to ChampionshipHowever, Fernandes will reportedly ‘seek to leave’ the London Stadium if Nuno Espirito Santo fails in his quest to keep the club up, as per talkSPORT.The 21-year-old has been deemed one of the side’s ‘standout performers’ this term following his £42 million switch from Southampton last August, meaning he could well end up seeing out only 12 months of his five-year deal.It remains to be seen what kind of fee West Ham would demand for Fernandes if they are made to reluctantly facilitate his departure, especially if he is piling on the pressure to grant his requests. Olhão-born Fernandes, a graduate of Sporting Lisbon’s academy, is still awaiting his first senior cap for the Portugal national team, so he’ll be hoping he can do enough from now until the summer to put himself in good standing with Roberto Martinez in the lead-up to the World Cup.Fernandes among a handful of young EPL stars being targeted by UnitedThe youngster joins a host of top-flight-proven targets being assessed by INEOS as they prepare for Casemiro’s release in June, with the likes of Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba and Elliot Anderson all being actively monitored by transfer chiefs at Old Trafford.Fernandes has sought to prove himself in the Premier League over the last two seasons and has now racked up 63 appearances in total. Club Appearances (starts) Goal contributions Minutes played West Ham 27 (26) 6 2,221 Southampton 36 (34) 6 2,9222 (Fernandes’ record in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt)