Paul Merson is a massive fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers star Ruben Neves, who produced another classy display on Saturday.
Paul Merson has claimed on Sky Sports that not only is Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves too good for the Championship, but he’ll be one of the Premier League’s best players when Wolves go up.
Wolves beat Burton Albion 3-1 at Molineux on Saturday to tighten their grip on top spot in the Championship, moving six points clear of Cardiff City who have a game in hand.
With a 13-point cushion in the top two, it’s only a matter of time before Nuno’s side win promotion back to the Premier League and so much of that imminent success will have been down to Neves.
The 21-year-old joined the West Midlands club in a £15 million deal from Porto last summer and he has looked a classy operator throughout Wanderers’ season.
Against Burton, Neves, who set up Wolves’ second through Benik Afobe, produced one of the passes of the season with a perfectly-weighted ball for Helder Costa, and Merson can’t get over how good the youngster is.
He said on Sky Sports: “He can play. Wow. I mean, he is a proper player. With respect to Wolves, why is he playing in the Championship? Seriously.
“He could easily play in the Premier League and he’d be one of the best players [in the top flight]. His passing and his vision. This kid was unbelievable. Unbelievale.
“I was with Steve Bull not long ago and he kept on saying to me ‘you should see these players. They’re the best players I’ve seen at Wolves for years’.”
The worrying thing for Wolves’ perspective is whether they can keep him long term. He is likely to stay at Molineux next season, but if Merson’s claims are accurate and Neves does impress in the top flight then this time next year there is bound to be talk of a summer departure.
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