Manchester United sent their scouts to watch Benfica starlet Joao Neves in action during the Derby de Lisboa on Sunday evening, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.
The 19-year-old has become a stalwart in Benfica’s midfield as of late, which led to him being granted his first-ever Portugal call-up and senior debut in October.
Over the weekend, Neves started alongside Florentino Luis in the middle of the park for the Eagles’ crucial derby clash against rivals Sporting CP; one of the fiercest and most highly-anticipated fixtures of Liga Portugal.
United sent members of their scouting department to watch the contest, as did Liverpool and other top clubs across Europe, with all of the figures being keen to see how the young prospect fared in such a tense atmosphere.
Neves’ emphatic derby-day heroics
He certainly put on a show for those in attendance; as Benfica looked set to drop points in the closing stages of the game, Neves fired home an injury-time equaliser in the 94th minute.
This subsequently ignited a much-needed comeback, as Casper Tengstedt gave the home side the lead in the 97th minute to make it 2-1 and claim a crucial victory, with both sides now completely locked at the top of the table – Benfica lead only through goal difference.
