Joao Neves: Who is Portugal midfielder linked with Manchester United?

Benfica president Rui Costa confirmed a bid had been made for Neves when speaking to Portuguese newspaper A Bola, external, but did not reveal who had made the approach.

“There is a proposal on the table which is being evaluated and is being discussed,” said the Portugal legend.

“But at this moment, Joao Neves remains a Benfica player. It’s not that I want to hide the ins and outs because I understand that Benfica fans want to know whether Joao will be leaving or not.”

In response to reports that Neves would only leave for his £101m release clause, the president added: “I never said that Joao Neves would only leave for his release clause and therefore, those claims are false.”

Ingles fears any move may also be coming too soon for the player – but believes it may be easier for him to settle in France’s Ligue 1 than the Premier League.

“Despite his maturity, I think he’s making the same mistake as Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos or Renato Sanches: he’s leaving too soon,” he says.

“I don’t know if he’s ready yet. And as with Darwin Nunez, it’s one thing to be good in the Portuguese league, it’s another in the top five leagues.

“Here if you’re good, you stand out. In England, everybody around you is as good or better, so you struggle. He’s very small and I don’t know if he would cope with the phisicality of the Premier League.”

So is he destined for the very top?

“I would gamble that he will be a very good player, make a very good career, but will never be a world class player,” adds Ingles. “But who knows, he’s only 19.”