Erik ten Hag has reportedly already outlined his transfer priority if he is named the new Manchester United manager.
The Sun claim that the Dutchman would want to add Ruben Neves to the Old Trafford midfield if he is the man to lead the club into the new era.
Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino have been interviewed for the role and it does not seem that United are in any rush, with more talks planned.
Neves has been linked with United extensively in recent times. The report says that the club tried to sign him in the past two transfer windows.
How true that is is up for debate. It was quite clear Ralf Rangnick was not going to sign anyone and it makes sense for United to wait until the new manager is announced before making a big midfield signing.
And Neves would have been a more pragmatic signing to round off the summer but United found the money to sign his international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo late on instead.
We are now past the point where a new holding midfielder is all United need, but at that stage, getting Neves in for the start of the season could have been something approaching the final piece of the jigsaw.
Neves is a technical player with huge quality and on paper, that does suit ten Hag’s style. You would expect Donny van de Beek to have a far bigger role if ten Hag took over, too.
But with Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matic all potentially leaving in midfield, there is space for at least one more.
In February 2020, Neves told Sky, as reported by The Star: “It’s always good, playing against our team-mates from the international team. I know (Bruno Fernandes) very well, I’m really happy for him. He’s in a great club in a fantastic league.
“He can now show everyone what he can do. There is a lot because he’s a great player. I’m really happy for him.”
Ronaldo and Bruno could help Neves settle if he came to United, although there is a potential complication as he is currently injured.
He is expected back in May, but if there are any issues with his recovery, United should be wary about signing someone who may be injured when the new manager begins his first pre-season.