Ruben Neves has given Wolverhampton Wanderers a fantastic goal against visiting Newcastle on Sunday, and Wolves fans will be hoping it’s not a going-away present.
If it is, it’s a really thoughtful one.
The player’s been linked with Liverpool and Manchester United among others and would certainly fill a need with both, but for now is delivering big moments for a currently-winless side (that’s set to change if Wolves hold firm for the final 45 minutes at home) .
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Neves is the gift that’s going to keep giving until his final gift of a big transfer fee, and the Portuguese international has already spent longer at Molineux than many expected upon his signing with Wolves.
The 25-year-old has 30 caps for Portugal and has admitted that he misses the UEFA Champions League, and he could skip town in the next five days among those linked with the complete midfielder who loves a dig from well outside the box.
Neves has 25 goals and 12 assists in 217 career appearances with Wolves after making his name as a teenager at Porto. He surprised with a move to the then-Championship side Wolves in 2017 and helped the club to Premier League promotion with six goals.
Watch: Ruben Neves lashes laser goal (video)
Here’s the thing about Ruben Neves’ outstanding goal: There’s no question Neves adores taking a shot from distance but it’s barely the reason he’s often in the transfer window.
Neves fills the stat sheet in almost every area and you get the feeling he’d add stats to the rest if Wolves’ system asked him to do so.
Paired with Joao Moutinho for most of his time at Molineux, Neves delivers progressive passes, dribbles, tackles, interceptions, clearances, and blocks. FBref.com compares him favorably to Spurs’ Pierre-Emilie Hojbjerg, Real Betis’ Andres Guardado, and Udinese’s Wallace (as well as Moutinho).
The goals are nice, too, and many of his are sensational. That’s not rhetoric, although Neves also takes more than a few shots that end up in outer space, too.
Ruben Neves laser leads Wolves to halftime lead vs Newcastle (video) originally appeared on NBCSports.com