When Ruben Neves started playing for Porto, there was no doubt he would become a star.
The fact that he captained the club in a Champions League game at the age of 18 created great expectations about him, maybe with a bit too much pressure as well.
What happened later was that the midfielder couldn’t keep his improvement going, something that left him on Porto’s bench for quite a while, until he made the move to Wolverhampton this summer.
The transfer sounded quite strange and unusual for Portuguese fans at the time, but Neves was able to find his good form again at Wolves, and now there’s no doubt it was all worth it.
The last international break meant a lot to him, since he played for Portugal’s first team for the first time in two years.
His last first team match for his country had been against Luxembourg in November 2015, and now he was able to return in the friendlies against Saudi Arabia and United States.
Neves spoke about it to the local press, and explained the Wolves move was something crucial for his national team return.
“I needed to grow as a player, England has been a very good opportunity, I hope to make the most of it. I’m here to shuffle the manager’s choices for the World Cup,” he said (via A Bola).
Neves may not have standout stats for Wolves, as he’s scored only one goal so far, but his quick impact in the team is pretty clear, and he’s started every Championship game since signing for the club.
So there’s no doubt that Wolves were an unexpected boost to Neves’ career, and the player could mean the same for the club in case of Premier League promotion.
