Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign Ruben Amorim in the January transfer window. An attacker is on the shopping list, but the Red Devils manager is also keen to add to his midfield squad.
Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro have been the first choice to pivot this season, and the Portuguese manager seems reluctant to stray too far from that.
Despite his obvious talent, Koby Mainu is yet to start a Premier League game this season, and Manuel Ugarte also appears to have fallen well down the pecking order.
The Red Devils could look to sign a midfielder in January, with a new option seemingly emerging.
Manchester United offer chance to sign former Premier League star
Manuncia’s team appear to have several options when it comes to signing a midfielder this winter.
One name that keeps coming up is Nottingham Forest and England star Elliott Anderson. Outside of the Premier League, Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller is also reportedly a target.
A new report has also emerged from The Times suggesting United have been offered the chance to sign Al Hilal star Ruben Neves.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder is out of contract at the end of this season and is hoping to return to the Premier League.
The move could happen as early as this winter, with United one of the clubs likely to sign him. As for the price, it will likely be reduced considering the contract situation.
Neves is said to earn £290,000-a-week, according to Capology, but if the Red Devils were to sign him in the coming weeks, it could cost him just £18m.
Why Neves could be Manchester United’s new Scholes
In recent years, Neves has been plying his trade with Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He has also enjoyed success, helping the team win four trophies and has just reached 100 appearances, 106 to be exact.
If United were to bring the Portuguese star to the club this winter, they would be signing a Premier League-ready player. Of course, he played in 253 games for the Wolves, scoring 30 goals and adding 13 assists.
A true controller of midfield, the 63-cap Portuguese star is synonymous with dictating play. He has always been one of the best players in the Premier League when it comes to progressive passing.
Neves vs. PL midfielder passing statistics by season (every 90 minutes) | ||
|---|---|---|
season | progressive path | advance to the final third |
2018/19 | 6.17 (top 22%) | 5.75 (top 13%) |
2019/20 | 6.36 (top 25%) | 5.71 (top 14%) |
2020/21 | 7.13 (top 11%) | 7.2 (Top 6%) |
2021/22 | 6.83 (top 16%) | 6.76 (top 9%) |
2022/23 | 6.5 (top 20%) | 6.02 (top 12%) |
Statistics from FBref | ||
His best year in this metric was 2020/21, when he averaged 7.13 points per 90 minutes. It’s easy to see why Statman Dave called him the “General of the Midfield”.
It’s easy to imagine that kind of quality playing out in Old Trafford’s midfield. The 28-year-old, who has won the Nations League twice with Portugal, says passes like this are a key feature of his game and will add an air of poise and class to the center of the park.
Neves was once compared to United legend Paul Scholes by former Red Devils midfielder Owen Hargreaves.
He said he “reminded me” of the star player from the Class of 1992 because of “the way he hit the ball so cleanly.”
Of course, Scholes is one of the best midfielders in Premier League history. He won 11 titles with the Red Devils and appeared in a total of 716 games.
Like Neves, he was a controller in the middle of the park, especially as his career progressed, and he really moved things around for United.
It’s easy to see how much the Al Hilal man resembles Scholes. He is someone who can dictate the tempo of a game in the center of midfield, much like the former United number 18, and is great from distance, while also bringing technical brilliance to the team.
£18m is a bargain in the current transfer market. This could be the ideal move for Amorim to add depth to his midfield.
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