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£60m star shows Manchester United what they are missing to break Neymar record
There is a reason why they call it the transfer ‘merry-go-round’. Often, all it takes is one move to set the ride spinning.
When Paris Saint-Germain agreed a deal to bring in Joao Neves from Benfica for a cool £60 million, that opened up the door for Manchester United to go all in for Manuel Ugarte.
Neves’ switch from Lisbon to Paris also inadvertently aided Napoli’s pursuit of Scott McTominay. All the while sparking sparkling further ripples which played a role in, for instance, Jens Cajuste’s switch from the 2023 Serie A champions to newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
Ugarte slipped down the PSG pecking order once Neves’ arrival was confirmed, manager Luis Enrique preferring a dictator rather than a destroyer in the heart of his possession-controlling midfield.
Ironically, Neves himself was high on Man United’s wishlist heading into the summer. The Red Devils scouted him on numerous occasions last term, per Fabrizio Romano.
In the end, while Neves might not have arrived at Old Trafford, the much-admired Portuguese played a pretty key role in helping Man United secure the likely acquisition of the tough-tackling Uruguayan instead.
Manchester United close in on Manuel Ugarte
Only time will tell which of the two midfielders makes a more transformative impact in his new surroundings.
Ugarte could conceivably be the difference between a return to Champions League football for Man United or another season in the Europa. A high-intensity, high-pressing, ball-winning machine; Ugarte may also be – if not the final piece of Erik ten Hag’s jigsaw – then certainly a piece which brings the picture into a much clearer focus.
United spent much of last season crying out for a physically imposing, ground-covering number six capable of stopping opposition counter-attacks at source.
In Ugarte, Ten Hag will hope he has found the silver-bullet solution to United’s biggest Achilles heel.
The former Sporting Lisbon enforcer – desperate to seal the switch after agreeing personal terms in July – would be hard pressed replicating the extraordinary early impact Joao Neves has made at PSG, however.
Two games, four assists for the diminutive schemer. In fact, across two Ligue 1 outings, Neves’ four assists have come in just 28 minutes of action.
He rose from the bench in matchday one to secure PSG’s 4-1 win at Le Havre. And, after earning a place in Enrique’s starting XI for the first time when Montpellier came to town, the twinkle-toed teen set up both Bradley Barcola and Marco Asensio within the first half hour as the champions cruised to a 6-0 win.
“I think that in two games, you can already see his profile. He is perfectly adapted to the idea of the game and he can bring a lot to the team,” Enrique says of a man who could do for PSG what Andres Iniesta or Xavi did for his all-conquering Barcelona side, per Made in Parisiens.
“With the two other recruits – (William) Pacho and Desire Doue – he can enter into this versatility. That’s what I’m looking for.”
Joao Neves already breaking Ligue 1 records with PSG
Neves, still only 19 years of age, has taken just two games to make Ligue 1 history.
No other player since Opta began collating such data in 2006 has provided four assists in his first couple of appearances of a new campaign. In fact, the closest to reach such a tally was the iconic Neymar with three back in 2022/23.
Clearly, Man United captain and Portugal team-mate Bruno Fernandes was not wrong when he labelled Joao Neves a footballer of fearsome talent and potential.
“I don’t know if United rumours are true,” Fernandes told SportTV back in March, long before PSG emerged as his most committed suitors. “But I know he is ready for that big jump. He is an excellent player.
“He is with the national team (and) that’s also why the big clubs are after him.”
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