O’Neil must unleash “promising” Wolves star to stake his claim for 24/25.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will be hoping to make it back to back Premier League wins for the first time since February when they face Manchester City.
Gary O’Neil has enjoyed a solid debut season at Molineux, but with two of their final three games of the season coming against City and Liverpool, is a top half finish beyond them?
With injuries coming at the wrong time of the season, it could see O’Neil make a few changes to his starting XI as they take on the champions.
Rayan Ait Nouri had to be subbed off with an injury against Luton Town last weekend and the manager may have to turn to someone else to fill the void if he isn’t fit.
The players who could replace Rayan Ait Nouri
Unfortunately, Wolves don’t have many options in their squad who could come in to replace the Algerian – with O’Neil not providing any information on the potentially stricken star during his pre-match press conference.
Matt Doherty has been used on the left several times this term, but he will fill in for Nelson Semedo on the right side of midfield as the Portuguese defender drops deeper to play alongside Max Kilman and Toti Gomes at the heart of the defence.
This leaves Hugo Bueno, who could certainly be a like-for-like replacement for Ait Nouri against Pep Guardiola’s men, offering the youngster the chance to stake his claim ahead of next season, amid reports that his teammate has caught the eye of title hopefuls Arsenal – among other ‘big six’ sides.
Hugo Bueno’s statistics this season for Wolves
Bueno enjoyed a breakthrough season during 2022/23, playing a total of 23 matches in all competitions, which gave him a solid foundation to build on ahead of the current campaign.
