‘His time will come’ – Nemanja Matic tells Manchester United target not to rush transfer

Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic today features in a Portuguese newspaper speaking about a young star who has been linked with a move to Manchester United.

The 35-year-old spoke about Benfica, where he played between 2011 and 2014, but there was one question that will be of interest to United fans.

O Jogo asked Matic for his thoughts on Joao Neves, who has shown great promise in the Benfica first team and is now attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Matic believes it’s too early for Neves to leave Benfica, even if that’s to sign for United.

“I really like the youngest… Joao Neves,” Matic said.

“He’s fantastic. At just 19, he’s a fantastic player. He’s the future of Benfica. Of course, he’s interested some Premier League clubs too. I really like this type of player, who is young but plays with a lot of maturity.

“I think it’s too early for him to take that step of leaving. If I were him, he’d stay at Benfica for a few more years to play in the Champions League and to mature more. I’m sure his time will come, so there’s no need to rush. João is already at a great club at the moment. I’m sure his future at Benfica will be very good. I think it’s too early to leave, but of course, in the end, it’s always his decision.”

United have been linked to Neves for months, but his current deal at Benfica includes a €120 million release clause. Benfica will demand a huge transfer fee for his signature and I think we’ve got too many problems to address to fork out that amount on one player.

Subscribe to the Stretty News podcast Strettycast for weekly episodes on Manchester United. You can also sign up to the ad-free Stretty Newsletter. Get the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.