Lage may be heading for fatal Wolves error that could have dire consequences - opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves has been tipped to leave Molineux after five seasons with the West Midlands club if they fall short in their quest for European qualification.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer inside Dean Jones has tipped the Portugual international to depart Molineux should Bruno Lage’s men fail to qualify for Europe.

On Neves, Jones said: “His quality is undoubted, and I think that if they don’t qualify for Europe then it’ll probably be time to say goodbye.”

The £36m-rated midfielder is nearing the five-year anniversary of his move to Wolves from FC Porto when the then-Championship club sensationally lured one of Europe’s most exciting prospects to play in the second tier of English football.

In fact, when he was 18-years-old Neves became the youngest ever player to captain a side in the Champions League.

Manchester United have been previously linked with the 25-year-old but were told they would have to pay a fee in the region of £40m to secure the midfielder’s services; that fee could’ve certainly increased by the summer.

With the Portuguese one of Lage’s top performers this season, the Wolves manager will be desperate to keep Neves at Molineux beyond this season.

Throughout his tenure in the Black Country, the 25-year-old has been an excellent servant and thus losing him would be disastrous, particularly as Wolves have a lack of depth anyway. However, he can’t be blamed for seeking a new challenge, particularly if Wolves are to fall short in the race for Europe.

The West Midlands outfit are currently eighth in the Premier League table, two points off the top-six. However, sixth-placed West Ham have a game in hand whilst seventh-placed Spurs have two.

Over the course of his five seasons