Man Utd interested in 18-year-old starlet who boasts striking similarities to Lisandro Martinez

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Manchester United are interested in Benfica’s Joao Neves, a player who has striking similarities to current star Lisandro Martinez.

According to Di Marzio, Erik ten Hag‘s side are now interested in the Benfica midfielder. He can now be added to the ever-growing list of players United have been linked to in this year’s transfer window.

Neves is an 18-year-old defensive midfielder, who stands at just 5’7 tall. Despite this, he has been making absolute waves in Portugal. He is already regarded as one of the hottest prospects at the club.

He has already made his debut in the Champions League and was among the players who won the title for The Eagles.

Neves reminds us of a recent Manchester United signing…

As per an interview with Portuguese media company Cofina Media, João Neves said at the age of 14: “They despise me for my size but intelligence is also part of it”.

He also said at the same time that he already aspired to “be a promise” and sought to overcome the “size and physical strength” with “intelligence”.

Remind you of anyone? Lisandro Martinez was so heavily scrutinized due to his height when he arrived at Manchester United – but has since proved all the haters wrong and then some.

Similarly to the centre-back role, the defensive midfield position where Neves operates is usually associated with a powerhouse who can boss the centre of the pitch and turn defence into attack – when this really isn’t the case.

Neves appears to share the characteristic with Lisandro that intelligence with the football can 100% outweigh any physical capabilities.

With the roaring success that Licha has been at Old Trafford, it’d be interesting to see if this one materialises any further. Time will tell.

Joao Neves key facts

• Joao Neves made 17 first team appearances for Benfica last season, scoring once.
• He made his league debut for Benfica last December and has gone on to play in the Champions League.
• He is currently under contract at Benfica until June 2028.
• Neves is a Portugal under-21 international with three caps and one goal.