Neto's former youth coach at SC Braga, Jose Carvalho Araujo, admits United were keen - and even had a young Neto train at Carrington - though no move materialised.
Araujo told the Mirror: "I'd be so happy if he wins the Conference League.
"It's always good to win titles, especially a European trophy.
"It's the dream of any player, first to reach this level and then to achieve success. But also, Pedro has had a few bad moments with serious injuries and he's displayed a strong mentality to come back stronger."
Araujo continued: "We always felt that Pedro was different, he still shows the same fire and passion that he did back then.
"There was always a Manchester United scout, Vasco Noronha, hanging around Braga and at the time, we never really knew who he was watching but it was probably Pedro.
"His rise was so fast and everybody was always talking about him. He was a very humble kid, very funny and he was always having fun."