Joao Neves is the perfect replacement for Casemiro but Arsenal want him now | OneFootball

Manchester United’s midfield was one of their strongest suits last season following the arrival of Casemiro from Real Madrid for a whopping £70 million.

The Brazilian was excellent with his shielding of the back four, as he crunched into tackles and won back the ball almost at will while his underrated passing allowed the Red Devils to counter effectively.

Fans were overjoyed with the Brazilian’s impact as the club ended their six-year trophy drought and also qualified for the Champions League. The future was looking bright with Erik ten Hag at the helm and the 32-year-old in the engine room.

But alas, the good times did not last for too long as the Dutchman opted to play a high-transition style which meant the defensive midfielder was forced to cover a larger area and he has struggled to compete due to the lack of pace.

Casemiro’s struggles

Injuries have not helped the Brazil international who has struggled to track back and has often been seen sliding into challenges in a bid to avoid doing the former.

It is clear to see the the five-time Champions League winner is not the force he once was and INEOS are keen to move him on and get his humongous wages off the bill. There is interest from Italy, Turkey and Saudi clubs.

The Red Devils are eyeing a younger replacement and one name that has constantly been linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams is Benfica sensation Joao Neves.

The 19-year-old has been a revelation for Benfica who are keen to hold on to him for another year but judging from the interest he is generating, a move away this summer looks likely.

Neves is perfect for United

The Portugal international is a better passer of the ball than Casemiro, and has won more tackles and interceptions than the United midfielder while he is yet to produce an error leading to a goal (via fbref).

The Portuguese giants value the teen sensation at a £100 million and as per TBR Football, Arsenal have now joined the race as they look to find the perfect partner for Declan Rice.

“TBR Football understands that Arsenal have added Joao Neves to their list of midfield options and have intensified their scouting of him the last six weeks.

“Neves is a player that has been watched constantly by a host of Premier League clubs with Manchester United confirmed admirers of the 19-year-old.

“TBR has been told that Arsenal scouts have been in attendance to see Benfica three times in the last month and Neves was central to their attentions.”

Arsenal wants Neves

It would be scary for the other English teams if the Gunners were to get their hands on Neves. They can also offer the youngster the chance to play in the Champions League unlike the Old Trafford side.

However, United have been in touch with Neves’ representatives for longer and have laid the groundwork for a potential deal with Benfica even forced to put out a statement earlier on in the season that no pre-agreement was reached with the English giants.

The Portuguese sensation would have little trouble in gaining regular minutes at Old Trafford as compared to the Emirates where Mikel Arteta has plenty of firepower while he is not even their top target.

In other words, a move to United makes more sense and INEOS should pull out all the stops to ensure he lands up in Manchester instead of North London.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.