Warming to the idea of him at the base of a 433.
Ruben Neves | Signed for Al Hilal (SA)
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Just some stats for comparison with McTominay who I believe to be the best player in 'McFred'.
Neves 109 league apps
* Big chances created × 10
* Through balls x 20
* Accurate long passes x 627
* Tackles x 223
* Clearances x 115
* Interceptions x 194
* Recoveries x 812
* Errors leading to goals x 0
McTominay 90 league apps
* Big chances created × 5
* Through balls x 4
* Accurate long passes x 161
* Tackles x 115
* Clearances x 104
* Interceptions x 90
* Recoveries x 405
* Errors leading to goals x 1
McTominay does win more Aerial duels and 50/50s mind which you'd expect for his size and height.
It is true I watch our players every match and the likes of Neves mostly on match of the day so yes I'm going to be more negative towards both Scott and Fred. However the stats show Neves to be an improvement on McTominay for sure...without looking I'll assume better than Fred also.
How do we think Bruno gets on in a 433? Will it ruin his numbers?
There's just nothing in this rumour.
Agree. And I like the Batman reference.
I get a good feeling with this potential signing. He's a great age. Loads of PL experience. CL experience. He was the captain of Porto as a teenager! Still the youngest ever player to captain in the Champions League I think.
Then you've got the Bruno connection, he's been playing alongside Moutinho which is a great mentor for him.
Ticks loads of boxes. United should seriously look at him. it's a really weird comparison but i get a similar feeling to when we signed Van Der Sar. Playing for a midtable PL team, but he was obviously a level above and just made so much sense for such a great price and a club needing the money to reinvest.
Well you'd be immediately wrong then. Fred is the better player by a fair margin.
Yep. After Varane Neves is my number 1 wish for the price. Not everyone’s favourite target but he would improve our midfield no end. He’s done well in the prem. If we could add him on top of Sancho and Varane that is one excellent window!
I was going to post the exact same thing. It's incredible that there are people who rate McTominay higher than Fred.
I think he has a higher ceiling than what he is showing. Schneiderlin was never that good to begin with, no outstanding attributes.
I think he would be one of those signings that goes under the radar a bit but ends up being a great bit of business.
A bit like Carrick for us, Wijnaldum for Liverpool, Henderson for them too.
I'd be happy with the signing.
A bit like Carrick for us, Wijnaldum for Liverpool, Henderson for them too.
I'd be happy with the signing.
Can they speak portuguese though?
To be fair it does have that sort of stench to it. He's one that could go to a top side and really kick on and make a massive difference. Or it just doesn't really work out that way. I'll be honest, I've no idea which way it would go. As I've said before, I do wonder if he's stagnated and just needs that step up, new surroundings so he can continue progressing as a talent.
Maybe I'm just bored and need another signing though.
Sell Pogba and Lingard for £60-70M.
Get Neves and Camavinga for £55-60M.
Here's your 4-3-3 with Neves as a deep-lying playmaker (6), Camavinga (8) as a box-to-box midfielder with great tackling, pressing and ability to progress the ball with his dribbling, and Bruno as a creator (10).
Get Neves and Camavinga for £55-60M.
Here's your 4-3-3 with Neves as a deep-lying playmaker (6), Camavinga (8) as a box-to-box midfielder with great tackling, pressing and ability to progress the ball with his dribbling, and Bruno as a creator (10).
I think we need a dm like Neves. A player who plays between the lines and reads the game well. Similar to Carrick and Xabi alonso. The perfect type to partner with Fred/Mctominay.
Camavinga wants to move to Madrid. No point in pursuing a guy who has his heart set in Spain. And I think we can find someone better than Neves.
I think Neves could be a really shrewd signing. I can see him at the base of a 4-3-3, or alongside Fred/McTominay in a double pivot. Also he wouldnt be an expensive "undroppable" signing and could comfortably be rotated when appropriate - we dominate possession in a lot of games and he would make an excellent "quarterback" type player in those matches.
He would be a good partner for Fred or McT, complement them nicely. Got the Portuguese connection with Bruno too. And a good price.
Potentially not a really huge superstar signing, but could fill a gap quite nicely.
He would be a good partner for Fred or McT, complement them nicely. Got the Portuguese connection with Bruno too. And a good price.
Potentially not a really huge superstar signing, but could fill a gap quite nicely.
Let me put it like this - Sancho is one of the biggest talents in the world and has dominated the Bundesliga. Varane is one of the best central defenders in the world. I hope this is the kind of players we sign - and not a Neves who is very good but certainly not at that level.
Wait do people think Scott McTominay is the better part of "McFred?" really?
Who is out there for sale right now and fits in with our budget? We need midfield reinforcements , especially if/when pogba leaves this year. Neves will bring another dimension to our midfield and is PL proven so shouldn’t need a season to bed in unlike Donny. I’m all for this one. We are crying out for someone who can pass between the lines, switch play, and still be solid defensively. No brainer to me for the price. Next year we can go after a world class midfielder and striker.
He will be very good against teams that press us very high up, where McFred tend to sh!te there pants at the thought of receiving a pass on the edge of the penalty area with there back to the halfway line.
While I agree that he’s not of the same level and Sancho and Varane, and in an ideal world you’d have 11 players all of that level, it’s unrealistic to think we can achieve that from where we are.
A ‘very good’ player in that crucial position would be fine by me right now, especially for the rumoured price.
Of all the midfielders linked with us... I would love United to sign Neves, followed by Camavinga.
I hope so, but doubt we could get Camavinga easily, as he wish to go to Spain.
No idea how reliable Dean Jones from Eurosport is. But he talks about Saul from 13:50 then mentions Neves from 39:32.
Fit-wise, Ndidi is more suited for us than Neves. Leicester already has a ready-made backup un Soumare, but fees would be high with 3 years left on his contract.
I’d say that’s better than Chelsea’s.
Yep, this, he'd be a great fit with Bruno and Lingard/VDB in front of him
Something doesn't feel right about Wolves selling to be honest. Why would they sell one of their best players (even if he wants out and is refusing to play hypothetically) at a knocked down price in a window where people are asking daft money for their second string?
Rather have Neves than any other midfielder we’ve been linked with.
In theory I agree with you - but I would claim that central midfield (and maybe goalkeepers) is our weakest position - and I just don't see Ruben Neves as good enough to solve that problem. In my opinion he is not better than Fred and McTominay - maybe at the same level. There are a lot of players out there who are better or has the potential to be better - lets get one of those
They sold Jota for a very reasonable price last year. They will sell if the price is reasonable.
Soumare is nothing like Ndidi. But agree, Ndidi would be perfect for us.
This would be the most exciting signing of the summer, for me.
Sancho is obviously a better player. But his transfer took a year to complete and I'd have been content with Greenwood on the right if it hadn't.
Varane is great. But I can't really get excited about a defender in the same way
Neves, on the other hand, would fill a gaping hole and be exactly the kind of cog we need to join the defence to the attack. Like it or not, the 4231 is here to stay and we need like-for-like improvements on McTominay and Fred. It's the area of the pitch with the most headroom for an upgrade.
Sancho is obviously a better player. But his transfer took a year to complete and I'd have been content with Greenwood on the right if it hadn't.
Varane is great. But I can't really get excited about a defender in the same way
Neves, on the other hand, would fill a gaping hole and be exactly the kind of cog we need to join the defence to the attack. Like it or not, the 4231 is here to stay and we need like-for-like improvements on McTominay and Fred. It's the area of the pitch with the most headroom for an upgrade.
If we buy neves than fine but we would still need another DM, to cover for Fred or alternate with both. Neves has to play in midfield three, Tielemans is also twice the player..
What makes you so sure after all the recent reports suggesting a formation change?
Camavinga with Neves would certainly be interesting. They could offer some mixture despite slightly different play style, movement and age bracket.
Let's be honest, Pogba is stalling a bit, he's agent is plonker, we should just do our thing and secure reliable midfield as soon as there's strong momentum with United and overall good market for players.
Camping here after Varane has just been announced 
Really hope we can get Neves too!
Really hope we can get Neves too!
Camping here after Varane has just been announced
Really hope we can get Neves too!
Him & Camavinga would top off our best transfer window for quite some time!
There's so few actual links to Neves, its running on less fumes than the Rice thread.
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