Newcastle United have been encouraged to believe Matias Fernandez-Pardo can succeed in the Premier League because of his explosive pace and power, according to his former coach Arnar Vidarsson.
The 21-year-old Belgium international is joining Newcastle from Lille in a deal worth £51m, having developed from a winger into a more direct wide forward who can also operate centrally.
Vidarsson, who worked with Fernandez-Pardo at Gent before the player moved to Lille, told Sky Sports: “He is very explosive, very fast. He has this unbelievable power.”
The Icelandic coach believes Fernandez-Pardo shares some characteristics with Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku, who established himself as a Premier League star after moving from Belgium.
“You could compare him a little bit to Jeremy Doku. They have a similar profile,” said Vidarsson, who now works in coach development for FIFA.
“It is that power, that speed, that ability to go past people without needing space.”
Fernandez-Pardo is also capable of using the same change of pace that has become a feature of Doku’s game, slowing a defender before suddenly accelerating beyond them.
“Matias can go past people in one or two metres because of this explosiveness,” Vidarsson added.
Central role brought goals
Although Newcastle have been attracted by his ability to beat opponents, Fernandez-Pardo’s goalscoring record was also central to their decision to sign him.
Vidarsson believes the forward’s best position is centrally, rather than being restricted to a wide role.
“In my opinion, his best position is central,” he said. “That is how he scored most of his goals and how Lille scouted him in his last season with Gent.”
Fernandez-Pardo’s rise at Gent was rapid. He made his full league debut in March 2024 and played his final match for the club in August of the same year.
During that period, he scored eight goals in 11 games after being moved into a central attacking position.
“The coach started to use him as a striker. Before that, he had always been on the wing. He made a good decision because Matias started to score a lot. After that spell playing centrally, there was big interest in him,” said Vidarsson.
The coach had known Fernandez-Pardo before his first-team breakthrough. As well as working with Gent’s development squad, Vidarsson was involved in talent management at the Belgian club.
He remembers a reserved youngster whose family played an important role in supporting his development.
“His relationship with his father was strong. His father was all in, basically his assistant, driving him everywhere and taking good care of him. Matias did not talk too much,” he said.
Fernandez-Pardo was more expressive when he played. During his time with Gent’s second team, he operated as a wide player but still had plenty to learn about his decision-making.
“His decision-making on the wing was not always the best,” Vidarsson recalled. “That is something that Doku, for example, also had when he was at Anderlecht.”
He stressed that those observations related to a much earlier stage of Fernandez-Pardo’s career, with players naturally improving as they gain experience.
“But he was going past people and not knowing when to cross, when to cut inside, when to go outside, when to find space in behind. And sometimes he did not have the mentality to run for the team,” he said.
Vidarsson felt some of those issues were linked to Fernandez-Pardo having outgrown the level of the second team and becoming frustrated at being moved between the senior and reserve squads.
“That is typical of a young player who was being asked to go from the first team to play for the second team,” he said.
Move to Newcastle another step up
Fernandez-Pardo’s opportunity arrived in early 2024, after Gent sold three attacking players for significant fees. Malick Fofana and Gift Orban joined Lyon, while Hugo Cuypers moved to Chicago Fire.
“That freed up the space for Matias to play,” Vidarsson said.
Fernandez-Pardo left for Lille that summer, a move Vidarsson believes was an important step in his progress.
“I think it was a great move for him to go to Lille,” he said.
After a promising first season adapting to the higher level, Fernandez-Pardo helped Lille qualify for the Champions League. His decision to leave the French club has therefore surprised some people in football, with the view that another season in the competition could have benefited his development.
Vidarsson has warned Newcastle supporters not to expect an immediate finished product.
“I would say they are taking, not a risk, but let’s say giving him an opportunity,” he said.
“He has the potential but I really do believe that he will need one season to adapt before he can shine and become a top player in the Premier League. Because everything in the Premier League is faster, more intense. Everything there happens at a faster tempo.”
Fernandez-Pardo could be suited to Matthias Jaissle’s vertical style of play, particularly if he is used in a channel as part of a front two rather than being stationed permanently on the wing.
“It will probably always be better for Matias to play in a system as one of two strikers,” Vidarsson said.
“Because of his speed, he needs space. On the wing, you can direct him in one direction and then he becomes a little easier to mark.”
That could change as Fernandez-Pardo grows into life at Newcastle and adapts to a bigger club and a more demanding environment.
His limited involvement for Belgium at the World Cup was another source of frustration, with the forward making only three substitute appearances. Having grown tired of waiting, he pushed for the transfer and the chance to establish himself in the Premier League.
Fernandez-Pardo still has plenty to learn, but Newcastle fans can be excited by the fact that he is not yet the finished article.
“What he has, of course, is that special thing that a lot of clubs are looking for in modern football, that speed, that ability to go past people and do something in small spaces. He has those attributes and they are really difficult to create. You are just born with it.”
