Why Man City over Man United would be the ideal destination for this £15m prodigy

Why Manchester City would be an ideal destination for Ruben Neves

According to reports in Express, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ star midfielder Ruben Neves has been linked with a move to the Manchester clubs either in January or next summer. Both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have been impressed with what they have seen in the player, who certainly looks like a gem.

Express also claims that Manchester United are likelier to sign the midfielder because of Mourinho and Neves’ agent Jorge Mendes. So, the question now is whether the manager will be there at Old Trafford in January or next summer to make this transfer happen.

Despite all those facts, Manchester City and Guardiola should be a better prospect for a player like Neves to introduce himself into. The current Premier League champions should attract the Wolves man more than ever, especially when there’s competition from Manchester United, who are in a dodgy situation at the moment.

Tactically, here’s why the 21-year-old, who was bought by Wolves for £15m, should think of moving to the Etihad rather than Old Trafford:

Playing style

There is a distinctive difference to the playing style between Guardiola and Mourinho. While the former likes passing football with ground play and a high-line possession-based game, the latter is quite opposite in a sense that ground football is not his primary way of playing football.

For all we have seen of Ruben Neves so far, he seems like a player who will prefer playing under a manager who would give him the freedom to express himself on the ball and make things happen. Under Mourinho, this won’t be given to the Portuguese midfielder, so he might as well consider moving to Manchester City if he ever thinks of a switch.

Verdict

Neves is still a very young player with massive talent. The 21-year-old is by no means a finished article though, meaning there are certain areas he must improve to become a perfect midfielder for the Premier League.

In this respect, Guardiola is a manager who likes to take players with high potential and coach them to high standards. Mourinho is more of a manager, who prefers to sign finished articles.

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Hence, for Neves, both playing style and learning process will be more attractive at Manchester City.