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Ruben Neves or Kalvin Phillips: Who should Manchester United sign?

By Varun Aithal

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers in action during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on December 15, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 15: Ruben Neves of Wolverhampton Wanderers in action during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on December 15, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /
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It’s high time for Manchester United to look beyond Paul Pogba. Is Ruben Neves or is Kalvin Phillips the right solution for the Red Devils?

Ever since Paul Pogba joined the club, he has never shied away from the headlines. Either with his performances or with his and his agent’s absurd statements. Recently, Mino Raiola’s comments drew ire from Manchester United fans.

However, Paul Pogba’s time with the Old Trafford outfit might end very soon. The upcoming January transfer window might be the earliest possible time to see him depart. With the player leaving Manchester United and Nemanja Matic getting older, the club has to sign a defensive midfielder.

Even though Ole Gunnar Solskjaer trusts his young guns and Fred in the defensive midfield position, the Red Devils require a box-to-box midfielder to complete them. Despite multiple players available, the club has adopted a cautious approach in the last three transfer markets.

Considering their age and their performance in the top flight, here are the two players whom Manchester United should look into. Ruben Neves and Kalvin Phillips are the two players who can complete the midfield.

Ruben Neves: A Statistical Overview

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have been a juggernaut for most of the top-flight clubs since their promotion to the Premier League. The manager, Nuno Santo, has been spot on with his signings who are performing as a unit.

Among the Portuguese talents that the club has at Molineux, Ruben Neves is a lynchpin. The player is known for connecting the defense to attack with his passing ability. The player was crucial in Wolves’ European journey in 2019/20.

In the ongoing edition of the Premier League, Ruben Neves has clocked 808 minutes. However, the player is yet to score a goal or assist one in the 2020/21 season.

The versatile box-to-box midfielder has bossed the middle of the park in the Premier League. Despite the slow start to the league and missing a few key games, Ruben Neves averages 52 completed passes per 90 minutes. However, the player takes fewer risks in passing compared to fellow pivot players in the league.

He averages 1.11 key passes per game but with a higher pass completion rate. The player has strong tackling capabilities and has already accounted for 19 tackles in nine starts for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Kalvin Phillips: A Statistical Overview

Kalvin Phillips has been pivotal for Leeds United over the years. After four years of struggle and heartbreak, Leeds finally made it back to the English top flight.

The 25-year-old played a pivotal role in their promotion. Contributing both in attack and defense, the English international has been a key player for Marcelo Bielsa. In the 810 minutes that Kalvin Phillips has played, he has two assists to his name.

Phillips has dominated the midfield for the Elland Road outfit. The player has completed 54 passes per game on average. However, the high number of passes comes with a low pass completion percentage. He has a pass completion ratio of 82.4% compared to that 84% of Ruben Neves.

Kalvin Phillips is known for his through balls from one end to the other. Because of his risk-taking capabilities, the Leeds midfielder averages 1.33 key passes per game.

Also, he overcomes his poor pass completion percentage thanks to his interception during a match. Shielding the backline, the player has accounted for 14 interceptions in the top flight along with 18 tackles.

Who should Manchester United go for?

There is a catch for the Manchester United board and their fans. Both players boast similar qualities in shooting the ball from distance and being set-piece threats. Also, both like to feed their attackers by playing long balls.

The club has enjoyed great success in terms of its Portuguese recruits. Barring Bebe, everyone was able to create a history with the club and the recent recruit, Bruno Fernandes, might be on his way to legendary.

United were able to reach great heights with players from Leeds United too. Eric Cantona and Rio Ferdinand swapped their loyalties for the Red Devils and everyone knows what followed next. Can Kalvin Phillips follow in the same footsteps?

Make that back-to-back EPL losses for Chelsea. light. More

In terms of wages and transfer value, Kalvin Phillips comes at a lower cost than that of Ruben Neves. the latter also is two years younger than the former.

Both defensive midfielders are yet to peak in their respective careers and signing any of them can be a great move by Manchester United.

(The stats of Ruben Neves and Kalvin Phillips are referred from fbref.com.)

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