Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Aston Villa 1-0 on Saturday afternoon and Ruben Neves was one of many players to come away with praise for his performance. The 23-year-old got off to a slow start at Villa Park but eventually controlled the midfield and forced the substitution of Conor Hourihane and Marvelous Nakamba who couldn’t get a foothold in the game.
Ruben Neves is such a classy player, top clubs should all over him.
— Mark (@I_Am_Muffins) June 27, 2020
#wwfc could have stepped it up much earlier than they did but their/Nuno's utter conviction in putting fodder away like Villa means they'll choose their moment.
Never got out of second gear but total control in/out of possession. Moutinho and especially Neves typified that.
— Paddy Day (@paddyday90) June 27, 2020
Ruben Neves is criminally underrated.
— Miguel (@louivasco) June 27, 2020
Not a classic but another clean sheet and three points all that matters. Loads of time for the Donk, Moutinho and Neves get the plaudits for the pretty football, but he's a proper grafter and does the leg work. 9 from 9 and a week off now 👌 #wwfc
— Liam Flecknor (@LiamFleck) June 27, 2020
Wolves control of the game today through Neves & Moutinho was outstanding again. They slowed the tempo, increased it, always gave an option when needed. Considering Villa started with greater numbers in that area – 4 vs 3 – both always found space. So good. #WWFC
— Alex Richards (@AA_Richards) June 27, 2020
FT: Villa 0-1 WOLVES!
A SWEET Dendoncker strike sees Wolves make it three Premier League victories in a row for first time this term – and complete the double over Dean Smith's side. Not a classic, but didn't need to be. Coady, Jonny and Neves were great. Another big win! #wwfc
— Joe Edwards (@JoeEdwards43) June 27, 2020
Another huge three points. Boly, Jonny, Neves and Dendoncker were top class today. #wwfc ratings 👇https://t.co/eTsHDLSl2z
— Alex Dicken (@alexedicken) June 27, 2020
Against Villa, Neves played for 90 minutes, had 70 touches, won two aerial duels, completed 81.3% of his 64 passes, created one chance, played 17 long balls with 12 finding a teammate, whipped in one cross, made two interceptions, gave away two fouls and won two free-kicks.
Wolves paid £16.1m to sign the Portuguese international from FC Porto in 2017. He’s gone on to make 128 appearances in all competitions, scoring 15 goals and making seven assists. Neves has been a regular this season, featuring 46 times across the board, but his future is uncertain amid interest from European giants.
Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Liverpool have been linked with a move for the 23-year-old, but Wolves have tied Neves down for another three years and don’t appear keen to sell, so it looks unlikely that he’ll leave this summer.
