Pedro Neto got an assist for the Portugal U21 last night in their 1-1 draw with Netherlands at the U21s Euros in Georgia.
Portugal were playing their second group stage match, after losing their opener to Georgia.
It is now going to be very difficult for Portugal to get out of their group.
They must beat Belgium in their next game, and hope that Netherlands don’t beat Georgia.
While last night’s result for Portugal was disappointing, it was good to see Neto having an impact. And the 23-year-old was playing in a rather alien position…
Pedro Neto gets an assist playing up top for Portugal U21s against Netherlands
Last night, Neto played in a partnership with his Wolves teammate Fabio Silva.
It is something Wolves fans have very rarely seen at Molineux.
Since he’s been at the club, Neto has almost exclusively played as a winger.
Arguably, he is at his best when getting chalk on his boots on the left flank. He is quite a traditional winger in that he likes to go on the outside of full-backs before crossing the ball on his strong left foot. He’s someone who enjoys getting to the byline and delivering.
But against Netherlands he was playing centrally with Silva.
And he put in a good performance playing a position he’s not used to.
The £50,000-a-week ace latched onto a long ball in the first-half and held it up, before crossing for Andre Almeida to finish.
Neto showed fantastic pace, and then picked the right pass for Almeida to finish nicely on the volley.
It was a busy display from the 23-year-old, who was substituted off on 56 minutes along with Silva and Almeida by head coach Rui Jorge. The manager was seeking to make his side a bit more solid from that point on.
But Netherlands equalised through Brian Brobbey.
Potential food for thought for Julen Lopetegui as Pedro Neto plays centrally for Portugal U21s
Neto playing through the middle for the Portugal U21s was really interesting to see.
This is not something Wolves fans associate with him.
But perhaps this could be something we see from him in the 2023/24 season.
Granted it’s not likely. Because Julen Lopetegui has the likes of Daniel Podence, Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia who are all more natural fits to play as a second striker.
But maybe if there are injuries then Neto could be an option to play inside.