Portugal’s wonderkid set to storm on Land of the rising son
WOLVES NEVES: THE ONLY WAY IS UP AND NEXT STEP IS TO WIN TROPHY Pep: We’ll be Kevastating
RUBEN NEVES has always been a man in a hurry.
But the Wolves midfielder says he feels right at home at Molineux, despite constant speculation last season claiming he was a £50million target for Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Neves, 22, made his Porto debut at 17. Five days later he overtook Cristiano Ronaldo as the youngest Portuguese to play in the Champions League.
And a year later, he became that tournament’s youngest-ever captain.
So when one of the rising stars of world football turned up in the Championship wearing the old-gold-and-black shirt in the summer of 2017, there were a few raised eyebrows.
Proud
Not any more. Nuno Espirito Santo – the manager Neves worked under at Porto – has built a team that took Wolves to seventh place in the Premier League last season and into the Europa League.
Neves (right) has no doubts that the club’s journey on an upward curve has only just started.
“When I came here and Joao Moutinho came here, we were always asked why,” he said.
“Our goal was to help the club get into the Premier League – and now I think it is clear that we made the right decision.
“I am proud to have played a part in PEP GUARDIOLA has warned that Kevin De Bruyne’s return will make Manchester City an even stronger force this season.
De Bruyne has come through two 45-minute run-outs in the Asia Trophy unscathed, looking back to the history of
Wolves.
We had a great
Championship season – in one of the world’s most competitive leagues – and then we finished seventh in the Premier League.
“Now we want to keep improving and bring more success.
“I was shown the project before I signed for Wolves and saw that the club is really ambitious to be right at the top.
“That was the main thing I wanted to hear. I needed to see that they wanted the same things as me.
“So it was an easy decision to make because I wanted to grow as a player.”
Neves was named Championship player of the year in 2018 as Wolves went up as champions. And despite signing a new long- term contract last summer, his excellent form in the Premier League led to constant links with top-four clubs.
Neves said: “Look, I feel at home in Wolverhampton. It is unbelievable the way that the fans receive all the players at the club.
“I am not saying this because I play for Wolves, but in my opinion the atmosphere in our stadium is very special.
“There is only one club in the Premier League who can get close to our fans in the way they support the team – and that is Liverpool.
“Our fans are the best and they make our stadium the most difficult place for other teams. So I am not thinking about other clubs.
“I just focus on my job to help Wolves his brilliant best, after injury restricted him to 11 starts for City last season.
Guardiola said: “Kevin has been top. Unfortunately last season we missed him a lot.
“We did incredibly well without him but we are stronger with him.
“Last year, he didn’t have a holiday but he has had more time to rest and he came back like he did two seasons ago.
“Hopefully he can keep his level. He’s incredibly positive in his mind and his quality speaks for itself.
“Kevin is a huge competitor. He never lost his confidence last season but it’s important that he doesn’t get injured.” become a better team and to achieve great things. I have people who advise me on things like that, so I can just play my football. That’s what I love to do.”
Wolves open their Europa League campaign against Irish minnows Crusaders at Molineux on Friday.
And Neves is looking to hit the ground running after outlining Nuno’s intention to attack every tournament.
Imagination
The Wolves No.8 took time out from the squad’s pre-season preparations to meet and greet fans in Shanghai during the week – and it was clear that the club’s Chinese ownership has caught the imagination of the locals.
The event was also attended by Avery Dennison, the company that will supply Premier League clubs with names, numbers and sleeve badges for the next three years.
Neves said: “I think we can definitely take the next step and win a trophy.
“It will not be easy, but if we have the mentality that we can win every game we go into, then why not?
“I am excited to be in Europe because it is a sign of the work we have done
over the last two years. “I think that it is a beautiful achievement for the club – but now we want to go even higher.”
“And when you look at it, it also comes down to the fact that Frank and Phillip even played in similar positions on the pitch...”
Morris readily admits that one of the main reasons why Cocu was so attractive was his record, particularly in Holland, for blooding young talent.
It was under the watchful eye of the former Barcelona legend that the likes of ex-manchester United star Memphis Depay, Brighton’s Jurgen Locadia and Davy Propper, and Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum earned their spurs.
That added a considerable amount to the coffers of the Dutch club and Morris now believes the market is moving in that direction.
He said: “If you look at the money that is changing hands for senior players, it is softening, considerably.
“Where you are seeing an increase is in the value of young players – and massively.
“So, what is critical is player development and coaching to build the value of players.
“In previous years we haven’t had that here at Derby.
“If there is one measure of a manager it’s that their squad value at the end of the season is higher than it was at the beginning.”
Man City 0 Wolves 0