Ruben Neves | Signed for Al Hilal (SA)

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UNITED ACADEMY

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Dont like how this has turned into a Fred vs Neves thing. Fred's going nowhere if we sign Neves, and chances are will play a lot of games with him. Neves brings a lot of qualities that would be a great addition to have in our midfield. Especially with the way Ole wants to play next season.
I agree with that bold one. He's very likely to play with Fred a lot and I do see they both compliment each other. Neves will also allow Fred to push higher and Fred will apply high quick press in opposition half which something Fred is very good at and has the mobility as well as the stamina to do it and we often use it to launch quick counter attack.
 

MrSingh2002

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This, obviously, is not true. No need to resort to massive exaggerations just because you rate one higher than the other.

And also God help us if Neves is Pogba's replacement. Not good enough for that.
Have you ever seen Fred hit a successful long range pass? I rest my case.
 

roonster09

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Not a Fred thread either.
This doesn't make any sense.

If this was Kroos, Modric thread and someone posted that there is a huge gulf in quality between these players and Fred, it makes sense. Not with Neves.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Neves seems to he an alternative due to the lack of other ones. And the reasonable price. We need a CM whose game is built around buildup play however, from what I've seen, he's not really that good on the ball. One of those that needs time and space rather than naturally creates it.

I guess you never know. Sometimes a player just clicks in a team. However based on the small sample size, I don't see Neves as that CM we all look forward to watching play for us every week.
 

Mr Smith

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Neves seems to he an alternative due to the lack of other ones. And the reasonable price. We need a CM whose game is built around buildup play however, from what I've seen, he's not really that good on the ball. One of those that needs time and space rather than naturally creates it.

I guess you never know. Sometimes a player just clicks in a team. However based on the small sample size, I don't see Neves as that CM we all look forward to watching play for us every week.
I really disagree with this. He's very good at line-breaking passes from deep positions. I won't claim to watch him every week, but I've seen plenty of Wolves games where I thought he was impressive, and Wolves fans who have given their opinions in this thread attest to his passing ability, which I trust more than any United fan.

I also don't think we need someone that we "look forward to watching play" as you put it. That's for Pogba, Bruno, Rashford and Sancho. Neves is the kind of player you buy to do the simple things well; to be able to maintain positional discipline, hold onto the ball, and dictate the tempo of the game. I'm not saying he's one of the best in the world at that, and perhaps there is simply a lack of alternative, but I think he is good enough for what we need.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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https://fbref.com/en/players/b853e0ad/scout/365_euro/Fred-Scouting-Report

Amongst the best 10% in the top 5 leagues in number and completed long passes . You are welcome.

Oh by the way, Casemiro is way way worse than Fred in long range passing.
hmmm. I’m not sure about that. But I won’t drag it too long on this Neves thread so I will just leave the stats below. Oh by the way just to keep on the topic, I think long pass is one of Neves main attribute and strength.

 

roonster09

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Only few unknown journalists linked him with us isn't it, don't think we are looking to sign him.

He will suit Ole's style of play, Ole wants his players to play forward passes quickly, Neves' best attribute is his passing range. In that sense this might work well.

Wouldn't mind signing him. He has limitations but he is talented player.
 

DJ_21

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Is neves a natural DM or would he be a pogba replacement? He’s miles apart from Pogba to be his replacement. Are there any reliable sources linking us with him? I think he’d be a great signing no doubt and wouldn’t cost to much, I see him as someone in the same mould as carrick and he would allow us to control games and play them forward passes that martial/rashford will thrive on.
 

theklr

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hmmm. I’m not sure about that. But I won’t drag it too long on this Neves thread so I will just leave the stats below. Oh by the way just to keep on the topic, I think long pass is one of Neves main attribute and strength.

Funny how two different stats sites show different results :)
 

flappyjay

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If Pogba/Matic/Vdb stay Neves won't be coming. That being said he actually compliments mcfred very well. He stays back and mcfred play as box to box midfielders.
 

theklr

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Are there concrete links or am I boarding the wrong train?
Depends abit. He is definately on our list of midfielders , but its all up in the air what priority he supposedly has until Pogba situation is clear.

Dean Jones and a Norwegian unknown journalist is more or less the only concrete links to him recently , but that can only be that we do some groundwork to be prepared if something happens that prompt the club to go for him.

Other than that its a lot of chatter on twitter from supposedly insiders ;)

If Pogba/Matic/Vdb stay Neves won't be coming. That being said he actually compliments mcfred very well. He stays back and mcfred play as box to box midfielders.
Will be interesting with Matic now that Xhaka is staying. Were some small rumours about him going to Roma earlier.
 

Scholsey2004

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Only few unknown journalists linked him with us isn't it, don't think we are looking to sign him.

He will suit Ole's style of play, Ole wants his players to play forward passes quickly, Neves' best attribute is his passing range. In that sense this might work well.

Wouldn't mind signing him. He has limitations but he is talented player.
The things the player has said recently dont really suggest hes got a transfer lined up either. Talking about how he likes the new manager and used the term 'we' in regards to how he thinks the team will perform next season. I like him a lot and i think he would really improve us but it does feel a bit like clutching at straws.

Theres also the fact that the continental transfer market has absolutely crashed whilst the premier leagues doesnt seem to have. Its entirely possible that the quoted valuation for Neves of 35m is badly underestimated in which case it might be more economical to look abroad.
 

Inigo Montoya

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Played well yesterday. Set up one and scored a trademark goal from outside the box
 

OrcaFat

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Fred was a top 5 best midfielder in 19/20 season. Here is a nice video to refresh your memories. 20/21 he wasnt as good but we still finished second :drool: . Respect the man and stop comparing neves to him.

Just look at the weight of his passes. Neves isnt capable of that. He is more of a long pass player when there are players standing next to him.
Fred is a useful guy to have around but Neves is capable of playing every single pass in that video, in his sleep.

Fred gives us a lot that Neves lacks. Pace and energy, agility in the tackle, aggression.

Fred is absolutely not composed as someone claimed earlier in this thread. If he can’t see a pass the way he is facing he can get caught on the ball especially under the press. He also, to my eyes, goes missing a bit when the pressure is on, especially late on in games - possibly he is knackered by then due to his high energy style.

All that said, Fred has a lot to offer and may still be a regular even if we do buy Neves. But it is about the blend and if we had Neves:

Neves + McT > Fred + McT
and also
Neves + Fred > Fred + McT

Neves would improve our midfield.
 

andersj

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Better passing amd possession statistic while both are very similar on defense.
While I agree that there is not much between them, passing needs to be seen in context, dont you think?

- The passing accuracy is three percent higher at Man Utd than Wolves,
- Man Utd have more possession than Wolves,
- Man Utd also makes more passes in the final third (30 %) and into the penalty area (80 %) than Wolves

In combination, these statistics makes it easier for Fred to stand out on a few of these metrics than Neves (unless you think the entire difference between the teams are due to Fred vs Neves).

In general, it is harder to have a high completion rate at Wolves than at Man Utd. It is harder to be progressive, it is harder to find player in the final third and in the penalty area.

In summary, the fact that Neves at Wolves completes as many or more passes into the final third and penalty area makes me believe that Neves is probably a bit better at passing the ball than Fred. I see that Fred makes more progressive passes, but in general there is not much between them in the progressive distance they pass the ball. I would expect all these numbers to improve significantly for Neves at Man Utd, including completion rate where Fred is 4 % better.

Neves, compared to Fred, rarely lose the ball in possession either (dispossessed/miscontrols). My biggest worry when it comes to Neves is his lack of pace and weak physique. I know pace is not that crucial for a midfielder, but in the case of Neves I have seen it be a problem for him in the past.

He has matured and improved significantly the past few years, and it might not be that much of a problem anymore. But that is my biggest hesitation with Neves.
 

Utd77

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Neves would be quite an astute signing tbf, age, value and ready made premier league quality.

Plus, he would be an obvious upgrade on what Utd currently have in the same position., a Neves, Bruno, and (hopefully) Pogba looks a
very good midfield trio,
 

RedSky

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My biggest worry when it comes to Neves is his lack of pace and weak physique.
Good post, i'm going to highlight this point with the following:

He was dispossessed on average every 163.2mins last season in the league.
Declan Rice was dispossessed on average every 151.6mins
Kante every 145.1mins
Scott McTominay every 120.4mins
Fred every 75.9mins

My point being that despite his weak physique he rarely loses the ball. He certainly isn't good in the air though, he's not terrible like Fred in the air, but with two defensive behemoths in Maguire and Varane directly behind him im not sure its that much of a problem anyway.
 

-Supreme-

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Has anyone posted his stats compared to Rice?

Not that I want Rice but if the rumour is true that we were interested then it’d be interesting to see how they are compared, with Neves being a cheaper alternative.
 

Ali Dia

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And it wont be why we buy him either :)
Just for the benefit of anyone thinking Neves will unlock Pogba and Bruno… I’ll be happy if I never hear the word in relation to a footballer ever again. :lol:

Think Neves Fred could be pretty sweet behind Bruno if neves is genuinely comfortable dictating from deep and he can get forward and crack in 5 goals a season from outside the box.
 

Plg91

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Neves to United and Dalot go the other way would be the best.
 

Tallis

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If we play the way we were trying to play last year with a big gap between our double pivot and front 4, then Neves is a substantial improvement over McT or Fred. He has the range of passing which they don’t - he can collect from the defense and hit those long passes to our forwards.

I think both Fred and Mct get unfairly criticised but the one issue I have with them is that neither can hit accurate long passes. Fred likes to exchange short passes and hit the occasional through ball whereas McT just carries the ball or plays short passes.

Having said that, I would prefer that we not play the way we were trying to last year and become a more compact team that works the ball from gk to striker and occasionally go direct. As such, much rather prefer Camavinga.
 
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Hammondo

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Is neves a natural DM or would he be a pogba replacement? He’s miles apart from Pogba to be his replacement. Are there any reliable sources linking us with him? I think he’d be a great signing no doubt and wouldn’t cost to much, I see him as someone in the same mould as carrick and he would allow us to control games and play them forward passes that martial/rashford will thrive on.
Hes not a DM, hes a Pogba replacement.
 
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