As a rare treat, West Ham United fans are getting to see possibly their club’s marquee signing of the summer live just weeks before he’ll hook up with his new teammates in east London.
Pablo Fornals joined from Villarreal in the second most expensive deal in the Hammers’ history on a contract until 2024 in the middle of June, eating away a significant part of Manuel Pellegrini’s transfer budget despite only registering two goals and three assists in La Liga last season.
But he already has a huge early chance to make a big impression on members of the Claret & Blue Army at the UEFA European U21 Championship.
The whole tournament is being shown live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, giving supporters the opportunity to see their new man Fornals take on the rest of Europe as a key part of the Spain team.
And so far, the 23-year-old has been grabbing his chance with both hands after he failed to make the starting Xl for the first match, a defeat to hosts Italy but came on at half-time in the second game.
The Spaniard was quickly able to weave his magic on the big stage following his introduction and vote of confidence by manager Luis de la Fuente Castillo.
The central attacking midfielder struck from outside the box in the 89th minute to give Spain victory over Belgium and keep them in the competition in the tricky Group A.
Fornals was finally given the license to shine from the start in the key third group stage encounter against Poland, setting his side well on their way to a 5-0 progression-securing triumph with a 17th-minute close-range finish.
Now even more eyes will be on the flamboyant attacker, not just West Ham eyes but the eyes of the footballing world, in the semi-finals and possibly the final.
This means an even larger opportunity for Fornals to get his new fanbase excited for his arrival on a much bigger stage, the latter part of a major tournament.
If he and his Spanish comrades are to win the thing, they’ll have to overcome the talented French in Thursday evening’s last-four clash before either Germany or Romania in Sunday’s final.
A bit of silverware, the first of Fornals’ short career thus far and a large role played in lifting it, would not only send the Irons wild, it would also give the player a huge confidence boost ahead of a daunting first move out of his homeland.
But he must be wary as mass excitement comes with mass expectation that can be tough to live up to.
