While Mateus Fernandes was fast asleep in Sydney, there was a social media meltdown developing at home.Scarred by injury crises in recent seasons, Tottenham Hotspur fans are understandably more anxious than usual about their players’ conditions, so when Fernandes was absent from training videos that the club posted on social media, some supporters feared the worst.In the early hours of the morning in Australia, theories about potential long-term knee injuries began to gain traction online, with fans scrambling to find the truth about his absence. You can only imagine his surprise when he woke up to a flood of texts and missed calls from his friends at home, asking if he was OK.“I saw my friends,” Fernandes told reporters at Spurs House, a dedicated fan space in Sydney showcasing the club’s identity and history. “They started to call me to ask, ‘What’s happened? What’s happened? You’re injured?’.“‘No, I’m just a little bit fatigued, but hopefully it’s not too serious, and now I’m ready’.”Fernandes sat out Tottenham’s final game of their summer tour against Chelsea, but he is expected to be involved as normal when Spurs ramp up their preparations back in north London on Wednesday, when Roberto De Zerbi can begin building a midfield duo that could become the envy of the Premier League.Tottenham acted quickly and aggressively to bring Fernandes from West Ham United, despite significant interest from Manchester United. A fee of £85million ($115m) may sound extortionate for a 22-year-old with just one senior cap for Portugal, but Fernandes is rated as one of the most exciting midfield talents in the world.Fernandes shone at West Ham United last season, despite their relegation (Julian Finney/Getty Images)Last season, he ranked in the top five for tackles won (67; third), ground duels won (180; third) and accurate switches of play (23; fourth) in the Premier League, and was in the top 10 for total distance covered among midfielders, but the data hardly scratches the surface. He is as comfortable dribbling through the midfield as he is breaking lines with passes, which should help to solve Tottenham’s longstanding issues with central progression. De Zerbi pulled out all the stops to get the deal over the line.