Ruben Neves: Defensive midfielder that Manchester United should buy this summer
Ruben Neves is in the news after being linked with a move to Manchester United. Neves is a Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for English Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers as a midfielder.
Meanwhile, The Red Devils have already made a huge statement with the capture of Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. Now that they have bought a winger and a defender, the other area that Manchester United are prioritizing is the midfield.
United lack a quality defensive midfielder and had to face a lot of problems the previous season due to it. For most of the matches, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played Fred and McTominay as his midfielders but were not that effective.
With Matic on the wane, Neves is the right player that the Red Devils should bring in.
Why should Manchester United buy Ruben Neves
The Portuguese midfielder ticks plenty of boxes. In the 2020-21 season, he managed to score five goals, two more than Paul Pogba, who himself has an uncertain future at Old Trafford. He produces an average of 11.84 ball recoveries per 90 minutes and contributes an average of 2.21 shots per game.
Though he is just 24 years old, he is quite experienced. He captained Porto when he was just 18 years old and has almost four years of Premier League experience.
He had the highest number of tackles and interceptions (136) in the Wolves team and completed 406 long passes in the Premier League last season while Fred could manage only 250, Pogba 167 and McTominay 155 long passes.
With these stats, it proves Neves excels in his passing range and is similar to the way former Red Devils player Michael Carrick used to play. If the Red Devils do sign him, he will get the chance to train under Carrick and further improve himself.
With a fee of around £35 million, it is a smart investment for United after having already spent a lot on Sancho and Varane. Neves has his best years ahead of him and if he does move to Old Trafford, he can link up in midfield with his Portuguese teammate Bruno Fernandes.
Wolves will not be able to offer European football the upcoming season and it is the right time for them to cash in at the right price on Neves.
With van de Beek struggling and Paul Pogba's future at Old Trafford uncertain, along with an over dependence on the Fred-McTominay axis, United's midfield needs a quality addition.
Ruben Neves will definitely add a breath of fresh air to the United midfield with his wide range of passing and tackling abilities, as well as his ability to control the tempo of a game.