Recent reports suggest that a certain Premier League star wants to move to Manchester United before the summer transfer window ends.
The midfielder who is being touted as the alternative to Frenkie De Jong, who United look to miss out on, is none other than Ruben Neves.
Manchester United have been linked with Ruben Neves ever since the Portuguese first burst onto the scene in the Premier League in the 2017-18 season.
Fabrizio Romano recently talked about how Manchester United have Ruben Neves on their list and are looking at him as an alternative to the Dutchman Frenkie De Jong.
"Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Romano has claimed that United will be sure to have alternatives in place if a deal for De Jong fails to go through, and that Neves is someone who the club have been monitoring since last summer.(via givemesport.com)"
According to reputable journalist Jacque Talbot, Neves is looking at the Red Devils as the club he wants to make the jump to, to excel forward in his career.
At the end of last season, the 25-year-old had noted that he could leave the club soon as he wants to try something new in his career.
The Portuguese midfielder is valued at around £70 million right now, according to the Telegraph, but they also believe he could be sold for less.
"Wolves are demanding a fee of £70 million for Neves, who admitted after the final game of the season that his future with the club was uncertain(via Telegraph.co.uk)"
A picturebook Ruben Neves goal against Man Utd 📙#GoalOfTheDay x @Wolves pic.twitter.com/RkbqJ1s0Rl
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 17, 2022
Manchester United Are in Need of Major Midfield Reinforcements
Manchester United are depleted in the central midfield section right now. With Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic all departing, they need to sign players in the middle of the park, desperately.
If United are able to sign the 25-year-old, they could have a very good player at their hands. He is one of the best progressive passers in football right now.
He averages 1313.68 yards of total passing distance per 90, putting him in the 96th percentile in the world. He also averages 278.25 yards per 90 (85th percentile), while completing 14.31 long passes per 90 on average (99th percentile).
He is also able to play 6.63 passes into the final third per 90 (93rd percentile). The former Porto man is also very good at switching play as he averages around 4.16 switches per 90 (96th percentile).
He is also very good with the ball at his feet while being under pressure, something Manchester United’s midfielders lack, as he averages 10.92 passes under pressure per 90 (93rd percentile).
While the defensive side of his game needs some improvement, he is not bad at it. He averages 2.27 tackles per 90 minutes of football while contesting 3.04 dribbles per 90.
All stats are taken from Fbref.com
Neves will have no issues fitting into the plans at Old Trafford with several Portuguese players at the club already. Players such as Diogo Dalot, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.
Manchester United are also linked with several other players including Antony, Christian Eriksen, Marco Asensio, and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.