Ruben Neves | Signed for Al Hilal (SA)

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Chief123

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Neves is on the last year of his contract isn't he? So he shouldn't cost much surely?
If we can get him for a decent fee I wouldn't mind him at all. Any upgrade on McFred is welcome in my book

Also, I think any progress would be gradual, and that would mean signing players that weren't as good as we'd like, but would be a nice bridge to the quality that we want.
Are you sure it’s last year? If that’s the case I can’t see Wolves demanding anything more than 40m. However I’m sure that would have been widely reported if that was the case.
 

Eplel

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We've dwelled so long on Frenkie that if we go for Neves now Wolves will know how fecking desperate we are and will ask for a premium fee
 

SportingCP96

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I rate Kenneth Taylor from Ajax higher than Neves.

Kenneth Taylor MV.4,5 mill euros > Ruben Neves 40 mill euros.

Save the money on De Jong and Sesko


De Jong + Taylor + Sesko would United transfer window complete


Only Taylor + Sesko and without De Jong = Good enough for top 4 and champion league. But harder for premier league title.
But with onlu Taylor and Sesko. Should be good enough for top 4.
With the De Jong and those 2 = A lot closer to premier league title. Close the gap between City and Liverpool.
Those 3 would not close the gap tp City or Pool or make united close to a EPL title. They are babies and both still unproven especially Kennth who is hardly a starter at Ajax. Just look at VDB as an example, he joined United after being at the peak of his ability and you see how much of a non impact he made and has made so far. Then their is Sesko who scored a total of 10 goals in the Austrian league while playing for the super team of the land. This is not FM and signing Taylor and Sesko does not make United better then Spurs,Chelsea or Arsenal who are fighting for a top 4 place as well.

These are young players worth scouting but none would make United a top 4 side right now and 100% would not make them compete for the EPL. FDJ is a brilliant player and he IS a guy United should be looking to acquire along with Neves for the right price.

Also Kenneth Taylor right now is not better then Neves and I would strongly argue that Neves was better then Kennth Taylor when he was 20 years old. His passing range, shooting, and technical ability were far ahead of Taylor at 18 when he was captaining Porto in the CL.

For example another guy I rate higher then Kenneth Taylor is Enzo Fernandes who just joined Benfica from River Plate. Huge talent in Argentina who has looked fantastic for Benfica and I would not be surprised to see him linked to top clubs come next summer. The same can apply to someone like Matheus Nunes who is coveted by many top clubs in Europe.

Neves can be an interesting passer and is better then the current options of Scott mctominay and Fred. He is not a defensive powerhouse but that is not his game either. Just look at Michael Carrick for reference on what Neves COULD bring. I emphasize again though...for the right price.
 
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SportingCP96

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If you think United don't need this level of passing and ability in the middle of the park you're smoking dust. I think Carrick and Scholes were the last two guys at United who I remember can ping a pass like that but correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't think Neves is this world beater but he is a good player who can absolutely play in a top 6 side.
 

Yagami

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If you think United don't need this level of passing and ability in the middle of the park you're smoking dust. I think Carrick and Scholes were the last two guys at United who I remember can ping a pass like that but correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't think Neves is this world beater but he is a good player who can absolutely play in a top 6 side.
No, thanks. As weak as they come. It doesn’t matter how good you are at passing if you can’t resist pressing opposition.
 

SportingCP96

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No, thanks. As weak as they come. It doesn’t matter how good you are at passing if you can’t resist pressing opposition.
United have Scott Mctominay and Fred as their starting midfielders... Its like being stranded in an island starving but choosing not to eat the chicken because your vegetarian...options are slim at the moment,Neves would be quite the upgrade on those guys you have in midfieldfor the right price until United can convince a world class midfielder to join the club.
 

reelworld

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Are you sure it’s last year? If that’s the case I can’t see Wolves demanding anything more than 40m. However I’m sure that would have been widely reported if that was the case.
Last year of his deal? That's interesting. A lot of clubs will be telling him to hold off a year I imagine and they'll give him a nice signing bonus. Unless he's cheap now, which is unlikely.
Yeah after googling more, I'm not sure I was correct :lol:. sportrac mention that his contract will expired next year, but transfermarket mention it's gonna be in 2 years. I guess if Wolves does hold out for higher fee then sportrac is wrong
 

izak

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If you think United don't need this level of passing and ability in the middle of the park you're smoking dust. I think Carrick and Scholes were the last two guys at United who I remember can ping a pass like that but correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't think Neves is this world beater but he is a good player who cean absolutely play in a top 6 side.
Very underrated player on here.
 

amolbhatia50k

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United have Scott Mctominay and Fred as their starting midfielders... Its like being stranded in an island starving but choosing not to eat the chicken because your vegetarian...options are slim at the moment,Neves would be quite the upgrade on those guys you have in midfieldfor the right price until United can convince a world class midfielder to join the club.
Would make sense if he was cheap. Given his level we should be able to find others given either way won't get real class in this scenario.


If you think United don't need this level of passing and ability in the middle of the park you're smoking dust. I think Carrick and Scholes were the last two guys at United who I remember can ping a pass like that but correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't think Neves is this world beater but he is a good player who can absolutely play in a top 6 side.
I think the point is that we're looking for better than a top 6 midfielder.
 

Yagami

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United have Scott Mctominay and Fred as their starting midfielders... Its like being stranded in an island starving but choosing not to eat the chicken because your vegetarian...options are slim at the moment,Neves would be quite the upgrade on those guys you have in midfieldfor the right price until United can convince a world class midfielder to join the club.
I'm of the opinion that we have enough average, lightweight players. Stick with what we've got until we can bring in players who will actually add quality. Neves' deficiencies will be exploited here sharpish, and we'll be inevitably left with more deadwood to shift.
 

SportingCP96

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I'm of the opinion that we have enough average, lightweight players. Stick with what we've got until we can bring in players who will actually add quality. Neves' deficiencies will be exploited here sharpish, and we'll be inevitably left with more deadwood to shift.
I think you may be underrating Neves a lot here but we can agree to disagree.
 

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We do have a similar player in Eriksen now. Dead ball specialist and pass master. So not sure if we would go for Neves now. Seems different from FDJ if he is to be the alternative?
 

Fahad Jawaid

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Well since we are not getting De Jong, we should seriously get this signing done and move on. He is at a good age, even if he does not work out, we can move him on next season. People here are saying he would not start for City/Liverpool but currently we need to think about Arsenal and Spurs, sadly they are our competition and he will definitely start for both of these sides, plus he will be a big improvement on Mctominay.

Lets hope we get our senses back, stop with the never ending pursuit of De Jong and sign him up and get other attacking targets. We need to be in top 4 for attracting big players. It's essential we start well and get top 4 this season and then maybe we can nab De Jong next season.
 

bringbackbebe

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Well since we are not getting De Jong, we should seriously get this signing done and move on. He is at a good age, even if he does not work out, we can move him on next season. People here are saying he would not start for City/Liverpool but currently we need to think about Arsenal and Spurs, sadly they are our competition and he will definitely start for both of these sides, plus he will be a big improvement on Mctominay.

Lets hope we get our senses back, stop with the never ending pursuit of De Jong and sign him up and get other attacking targets. We need to be in top 4 for attracting big players. It's essential we start well and get top 4 this season and then maybe we can nab De Jong next season.
If we are looking at De Jong like player profile, Neves will not fit in. Irrespective, I think he's a good player and can potentially work well with Fred, but if Wolves are demanding 60-70m, it's not worth it. At 35-40m, he'd be a good buy. I'm sure this has been considered and passed over.
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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We do have a similar player in Eriksen now. Dead ball specialist and pass master. So not sure if we would go for Neves now. Seems different from FDJ if he is to be the alternative?
It doesn't hurt to have more than one midfielder who can pass a football.
 

pascell

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I think the point is that we're looking for better than a top 6 midfielder.
This is the key point and one ten Hag recently made. We can sign a lot of players who'll improve our midfield, thats not our aim, it's the standard of player we want to sign which is significant.

Sure Neves would upgrade our midfield, but he isn't quality enough to get us challenging for major honours.
 

Herman Toothrot

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If you think United don't need this level of passing and ability in the middle of the park you're smoking dust. I think Carrick and Scholes were the last two guys at United who I remember can ping a pass like that but correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't think Neves is this world beater but he is a good player who can absolutely play in a top 6 side.
Hmmmmm, interesting. On balance though, I'd much rather moan about "McFred" and how awful everything is at Manchester United than bring in a player who is clearly an upgrade in a part of the pitch that desperately needs an upgrade. My heart is set on FDJ, a player I know very little about having never actually watched him play, but I will be devastated with humiliation if Manchester United, a team I sort of watch with one eye on an illegal stream whilst berating in real-time, don't sign.

No thank you, Ruben Neves. I don't want your talent here, you're a waste of the Glazer's money, which I'm both protective of and angry about.

Must be going now, I've not told everyone how wank Scott Mctonminay is for about 5 minutes, and hear I Marcus Rashford has done something for kids again and I'm fecking fuming.
 

Borys

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Neves is actually closer to Busquets than de Jong.

Barca setup:
Busquets
Pedri/Gavi Paez -------- de Jong
Wolves setup:
Back 5
Neves --- Moutinho/Dendoncker​

de Jong would actually be more of a Pogba replacement (LM position in midfield 3), so putting him in midfield two would be a classic United move.
Neves works with 35yo Moutinho, so I guess he could do a bit better with Fred in midfield two.

We could fit both de Jong and Neves in one team easily, but if we're going only for one then Neves simply makes much more sense.
 

Dannn411

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This is the key point and one ten Hag recently made. We can sign a lot of players who'll improve our midfield, thats not our aim, it's the standard of player we want to sign which is significant.

Sure Neves would upgrade our midfield, but he isn't quality enough to get us challenging for major honours.
But ETH's line of thinking assumes that only players at major clubs can improve us significantly and help us challenge and that is just not true. When you are a club in our position (not the richest, far from the best, in a rebuild), you have to shop where the current contenders won't to be able to get value and build a strong foundation. There are great players outside the major clubs and that is where you have to start. Players at major contenders want a stable team that is already contending. We cannot offer it. Does that mean we stop trying to improve and go with what we have even though what we have is widening the gap between the contenders and us?

That mentality of "only the very best" will get nothing done if you are not the very best club and that is why we are where we are today. We are trying to jump when we haven't even started walking.
 

Borys

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But ETH's line of thinking assumes that only players at major clubs can improve us significantly and help us challenge and that is just not true. When you are a club in our position (not the richest, far from the best, in a rebuild), you have to shop where the current contenders won't to be able to get value and build a strong foundation. There are great players outside the major clubs and that is where you have to start. Players at major contenders want a stable team that is already contending. We cannot offer it. Does that mean we stop trying to improve and go with what we have even though what we have is widening the gap between the contenders and us?
That is a very good point. We've been guilty of that sin for a long time when it comes to midfield. The second sin is we get players who excel in one system and then make them play a different role (last example: Paul Pogba, recent example van de Beek, we will probably do the same to Eriksen and there's a huge risk with de Jong being pushed into midfield two without a competent defensive-minded partner).
Looking from that perspective signing Neves is a low-risk scenario.

That mentality of "only the very best" will get nothing done if you are not the very best club and that is why we are where we are today. We are trying to jump when we haven't even started walking.
Bingo. I understand the concerns about transfer fee, but "he's not much better than what we already have" is a shocking statement for two reasons: one, I can't imagine Fred/McTominay playing close to Neves level for Wolves, and two: they are different players, in a way Neves is a type of player who would complement Fred/McTominay/van de Beek rather than replace one-for-one.
 

Eplel

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The comparison to Merino is irrelevant. He plays in a much less intense league.
 

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We've dwelled so long on Frenkie that if we go for Neves now Wolves will know how fecking desperate we are and will ask for a premium fee
plus the fact we have waited for the start of the season which will make it harder for them if they need to find his replacement.
 

zaafi

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I think some posters are severely underrating the impact Ruben Neves would have in the team. Let's not forget we're playing Scott McTominay every game next to Fred, who offers virtually nothing. Neves was Porto's captain in a Champions League match at the age of 18, and I think people don't warm to him because he didn't progress how he was expected to, and also because he plays in an underwhelming Wolverhampton side. But he is 25 years old, and midfielders often improve with age and simply by playing with better players.

He's one of the most technically gifted Portuguese midfielders, deadball specialist, plenty of leadership, vision and an outrageous passing range. Like @SportingCP96 said, we haven't had a player with a passing range like that since Scholes and Carrick. He'll also likely bang in some absolute worldies occasionally. Great positioning and works very hard (even though he's a bit slow and not very agile).

Having said that, I prefer de Jong because I think he suits our needs better, and is a better player apart from long range passing, deadballs and shooting. However, if we don't get de Jong, we need to make sure we have another option ready. Absolutely cannot go another full season with McFred.
 
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Dannn411

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I think some posters are severely underrating the impact Ruben Neves would have in the team. Let's not forget we're playing Scott McTominay every game next to Fred, who offers virtually nothing. Neves was Porto's captain in a Champions League match at the age of 18, and I think people don't warm to him because he didn't progress how he was expected to, and also because he plays in an underwhelming Wolverhampton side. But he is 25 years old, and midfielders often improve with age and simply by playing with better players.

He's one of the most technically gifted Portuguese midfielders, deadball specialist, plenty of leadership, vision and an outrageous passing range. Like @SportingCP96 said, we haven't had a player with a passing range like that since Scholes and Carrick. He'll also likely bang in some absolute worldies occasionally. Great positioning and works very hard (even though he's a bit slow and not very agile).

Having said that, I prefer de Jong because I think he suits our needs better, and is a better player apart from long range passing, deadballs and shooting. However, if we don't get de Jong, we need to make sure we have another option ready. Absolutely cannot go another full season with McFred.
That's what I don't understand. Neves was a prodigious talent that started playing high level football really early, is an excellent all round midfielder and he's not even in his prime yet. He just happens to play for Wolves.

That is the exact kind of player we should be signing.
 

amolbhatia50k

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That's what I don't understand. Neves was a prodigious talent that started playing high level football really early, is an excellent all round midfielder and he's not even in his prime yet. He just happens to play for Wolves.

That is the exact kind of player we should be signing.
He did but never build on that early potential.
 

Renegade

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Neves is a Fergie type signing all day long.
How does he look when he plays for Portugal?
 

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He did but never build on that early potential.
Well in all fairness, he was just badly advised as a Mendes client going to Wolves. He's a well established Premier League midfielder at 25, he's ready for the next move. Progress doesn't have to be directly linear.
 

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For me the issue is the difference in how we and wolves play. Wolves sit back and hit teams with through passes and on the counter. Neves can sit back and never wander beyond the halfway line. At united we can’t do that, neves will be expected to get up to the edge of the middle third and beyond. We don’t have anyone to cover him and as soon as a turnover happens opposition teams will race through us. Any mid/lower pl will sit deep, neves has to step in, and they will just play past him.

against top 4 teams they will just play around him, with quick passing.

looks good at wolves because he can sit deep an do that exact thing to teams pushing onto them, picks the ball up deep, use his technique to create space then delivers through balls and long passes to expose teams who have pushed up.

watch any of his highlight videos to see how limited his mobility and pace is. Has no acceleration, no change in pace and no ability to track back if he gets caught high, that’s why his heatmaps show him mostly playing in his own half.

if we bring him in without changing anything we will wonder why he is flop, incapable of producing what he did for wolves.
So I will disagree with this a bit. He does get forward. He likes to get himself just outside the box and shoot and he will do that and get a few goals.

However he does rely a lot on his midifield partner also being combative and working hard to win the ball to share a lot of the responsibility. And despite his reputation as a passer, the numbers arent that impressive for him in regards to doing that and being effective over 90 mins. So I suspect that if we signed him and asked him to play possession he would mostly be similar to Fred's passing but with 1 or 2 nice balls over the top ala Carrick, Pogba or Lindelof. An improvement over what McTomminay does with the ball for sure but I feel like there are midfielders who could take us up 3 or 4 levels over Fred-McTomminay and Fred-Neves would be going up 1.
 

VidaRed

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Even if he's not world class, he's still better than what we've got.
 

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This is the key point and one ten Hag recently made. We can sign a lot of players who'll improve our midfield, thats not our aim, it's the standard of player we want to sign which is significant.

Sure Neves would upgrade our midfield, but he isn't quality enough to get us challenging for major honours.
Absolute bollocks and I don't even know where to start. So if we don't manage to get this world class player in FDJ we will go out there and look for the next one of the same ilk? Which is who exactly? And these significant standard of players who we should only target do they wait on the wings to come and play in the Europa League alongside dogshit quality like McT and Fred?
 

George The Best

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This is the key point and one ten Hag recently made. We can sign a lot of players who'll improve our midfield, thats not our aim, it's the standard of player we want to sign which is significant.

Sure Neves would upgrade our midfield, but he isn't quality enough to get us challenging for major honours.
We are not challenging for major honours any time soon, though. Our priority target this season is top 4, but our current squad is not good enough either in quality or depth.
 
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