Manchester United's £46m target Renato Sanches is the 'young Portuguese with most potential since Cristiano Ronaldo'
Manchester United are stepping up their pursuit of Benfica teenager Renato Sanches following reported interest from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Here, Sportsmail gets the full lowdown on the midfield prodigy from Diario de Noticias football writer Goncalo Lopes.
The question on everyone's lips at the moment is: can Renato Sanches play for a team such as Manchester United? And the answer is yes, no doubt about it.
I believe we are talking about a young Portuguese starlet with the most potential since Cristiano Ronaldo. However, it is necessary to know how he will exploit all of his qualities.
It is too early to say whether he is
worth £46.6million, of course, that nobody knows. But he is worth the risk. Who knew Anthony Martial would be worth what Manchester United paid for him last summer?
Manchester United are extremely interested in signing Benfica and Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches (right)
Sanches has been in impressive form for Portuguese outfit Benfica since his promotion to the first team
United are looking to pay the fee over a four year period, as they did to buy Anthony Martial from Monaco
Manchester United raided Portugal for a young player going by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo (right) in 2003
SO WHO IS RENATO SANCHES?
Renato Sanches has 42 international caps to his name at youth level but is yet to make a senior appearance for Portugal's national team.
After impressing for Benfica B, Sanches was promoted to the first-team set up at the start of this season.
Sanches signed a contract which will see him stay at Benfica until 2021 unless his buyout clause (nearly £60million) is met.
He has been compared to Edgar Davids due to his hairstyle and creativity in midfield.
Of Sanches, we are talking about a young man of 18 who has changed a team such as Benfica and influences the entire game. A player similar to Clarence Seedorf at his best, with the former Dutch player in fact being his idol.
The pressure of the £46m he could cost will not, therefore, be a problem for him. If at the age of 18 he can already deal with racist taunts, like in Benfica's last game, the value of his transfer will not be an issue.
I think Manchester United needs a new Michael Carrick to solve the midfield problems and that's where Sanches could come in. He's capable of playing either just in front of the back four or in a more advanced role, being the perfect complement to a player such as Morgan Schneiderlin.
The Benfica player stands out as being an incredible box-to-box midfielder, quite skillful, with undeniable technical and tactical ability, combining this with fantastic physicality.
He feels very comfortable setting the pace of his team, he plays in a very intense way, is very confident, and above all things he already plays like a veteran. And he likes, and knows, how to score goals!
Since he arrived in the Benfica first team, last November, he has kept his place in coach Rui Vitoria's line-up. And you can see his importance in only five months, because Benfica were eight points behind Sporting Lisbon at that time, but with Sanches in the side they now top the Portuguese league and excelled in the Champions League, being narrowly beaten in the quarter-finals by the mighty Bayern Munich.
Sanches has been compared to former AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf (pictured in May 2007)
Sanches would be the perfect midfield partner to Morgan Schneiderlin and could replace Michael Carrick
Of course it would be better for him to stay another year in Benfica and in Portugal. In my opinion, that would be best for his development. I have no doubt that if he heads to England next summer his level will evolve, but Manchester United's staff and even their fans have to realise that Sanches is not yet the finished product, he still has his flaws, like any typical 18-year-old player.
And I believe that with another season in Portugal weaknesses such as a lack of concentration at times during games and even overconfidence that leads to a few loose passes could be more easily rectified.
But I understand, however, the urgency of a club such as Manchester United to sign him right now, especially because there are other great clubs such as PSG and even Real Madrid who are also very interested.
United have watched Sanches on 22 consecutive occasions, most recently in a 1-0 win over Rio Ave