World Cup Selection Dilemma: Why Portugal must build around Ruben Neves

Let’s start with a sentence I never thought I’d type. The European champions should build their team around a Championship star. 

Of course, Portugal’s most important player in Russia will be Cristiano Ronaldo, but Fernando Santos’ side can’t rely too heavily on the ageing superstar and must start planning for the future.  

The Euro 2016 victors are approaching the tournament without any great idea of their strongest XI and with a real dilemma in midfield. It’s not that Portugal are short of options in that regard, in fact quite the opposite, but that there’s only really one that has been both fully fit and in form over the current campaign. 

That man is Ruben Neves, who has led Wolves to promotion to the Premier League and earned an international recall in the process having been named in each of the last two squads. The youngster has, however, started just one of the four games available in that time, but must surely be considered as the man to pull the strings from the middle of the park. 

With Danilo Pereira out of action due to injury, William Carvalho - who has had problems of his own this season, restricting the 26-year-old to just 22 league appearances - looks likely to be the first choice in the engine room, but Neves must surely now be the prime candidate to partner the Sporting man. 

While the former Porto youngster may only be plying his trade in England’s second tier, he has looked a cut above that level all season and was somewhat unjustly pipped to the Player of the Year award by Ryan Sessegnon.  

He has been an integral player for his side for the entire campaign, which is more than can be said of a number of his competitors for a place in the Portugal line-up, and it’s his range of passing that would add another dimension to Santos’ midfield. The 21-year-old has completed 8.5 accurate long balls per game and with the full-backs at his disposal, Santos should perhaps take a leaf out of Nuno’s book to get the best out of Neves, enabling him to switch play from flank to flank to pull opponents out of position. 

Moreover, the Wolves man has proven he has the tenacity to compete in an extremely physical and demanding league - averaging 2.3 tackles per 90 minutes - all while maintaining the poise and composure for which he is renowned. 

Meanwhile, the likes of Andre Gomes, Joao Mario and Adrien Silva have all seen very little league action this term by comparison, while Joao Moutinho has had a modest season at Monaco at best. 

While Portugal may have plodded to victory in France two years ago, chopping and changing their midfield, they need more consistency this summer and in Neves they have a class act to help steer them through a tough group.