Manchester United’s season could be heavily impacted by their moves in the January transfer window with Erik ten Hag under growing pressure at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has already spent £388m/$485m since joining United in June 2022, but the team has struggled to stay consistent with most of its new faces yet to show their form.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty over the club’s ownership, Ten Hag will have a budget to work with at the start of 2024, and is expected to be busy with both sales and transfer arrivals.
Benfica star Joao Neves has a potential target as Ten Hag’s side lack midfield roles, and Portugal’s foreigner is on the radar of clubs across Europe.
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Neves is a product of the famed Benfica youth academy which also developed Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias and Barcelona forward Joao Felix.
After playing a role in Benfica’s 2021/22 UEFA Youth League title, Neves joined the first team at the start of last season and made his senior debut in January 2023.
Benfica’s new head coach, Roger Schmidt, was so inspired by Neves’ rise that he opted for a delayed move to update Chelsea-linked Enzo Fernandez as the teenager helped Benfica win its first Portuguese league title since 2019.
Neves, who was initially used as a rotation option, has now established himself as a first-team starter in 2023/24, alongside Orkun Kökçü or Florentino Luis in a double defensive pivot in midfield.
After just six league starts in 2022/23, the 19-year-old has been ever-present this season, appearing in all 11 league games until the end of November. He has scored a goal and assisted once in the league this season.
Schmidt has kept the religion in a 4-2-3-1 formation at Benfica and Neves is a key component of his tactical set-up as a deep midfielder.
Neves is the primary option in the two-man defensive shield in front of the defence, with Kökçü and Luis rotating in, depending on the opposition.
While he doesn’t boast about the physicality of his midfield teammates, Neves has shown genuine tenacity by playing from tight positions in Benfica’s engine room, with comparisons to Barcelona’s Gavi.
The statistic from its inception to the 2023/24 season is a total of 22 tackles obtained in the Primeira Liga, ahead of players with more years of experience. He is also No. 1 in midfield touches on the Portuguese highest line (810). , showing his dual ability to win demanding situations and constantly claim possession.
Goals are less frequent, but he has a very good habit of scoring important goals, and his first goal at Benfica was a late equaliser on his behalf that confirmed the 2-2 draw at Sporting Lisbon in May. He followed up with an injury-time goal opposite them in a 2-1 win in November 2023.
18-year-old João Neves scored Benfica’s first overall goal. 90 4′ Draw against Lisbon opponent Sporting. ? pic. twitter. com/UVge320eDW
Multiple reports from the UK have linked United with a move for Neves, however, The Metro claims he will be sold for less than his £105m/$131. 5m buyout clause at Estadio da Luz.
Benfica have no immediate plans to sell, however, they maintained a similar stance on Fernandez after the 2022 World Cup, before eventually accepting Chelsea’s Premier League record £106. 8m/£134m offer. of dollars.
United will not pay the clause, as it stands, but that situation could change by the start of 2024.
Neves is attracting admiring glances from clubs and his teammates for both Benfica and Portugal.
However, the alluring Premier League angle may turn into a Mancunian war for him, with former Benfica star Silva and United captain Bruno Fernandes inspired by their immediate promotion.
“I’m very satisfied for Joao Neves and for those who play for Benfica and the national team. Could he play in the Premier League? Quality players can play in any league,” Silva said in an interview with Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias. Array
“I see him focused on the club, that’s the maximum at the moment. He is very young, with a long promising career ahead of him.
“He’s integrated into the national team in the best way possible, and he is another one who can try and help us to win the European Championship. If I can, I’ll make a move for him to go to Manchester City over United, of course.”
Silva’s cheeky comments stick to Fernandes’ admission that she will marry Neves on the red side of Manchester if a deal can be reached.
“He’s a wonderful player, I don’t know if he’d be compatible at United or not. It depends on the coach and his ideas,” he said.
“But he’s a wonderful player and a wonderful guy, very professional, he’s going to have a brilliant long-term career wherever he goes. I’d love to have him by my side. It’s up to him. What I need to do the most is to be productive for him. “
United are set to bring in reinforcements in January, and Neves would be an improvement over his current midfield, but Ten Hag are unlikely to pay more than £100m/$125m for a teenager.
Ten Hag also prefers a Neves-friendly 4-2-3-1 formation with Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Scott McTominay and Sofyan Amrabat rotating between the two defensive midfield roles.
Casemiro’s superb start to his United career last season has been balanced against a drop in form and injuries in 2023/24 with Eriksen struggling without the Brazilian.
McTominay has inspired with his effort and eye for goal, but remains a doubtful starter, and Amrabat looks like a square peg in a circular hole.
Neither Casemiro nor Eriksen will be long term fixtures in United’s midfield, and a move for Neves would be a huge statement of intent over their midfield plans.
However, the option of running under Pep Guardiola will also be a tempting option, if City’s recommendation Silva in 2024 is met.