Wolves are under pressure to keep their momentum going amid the current injury crisis, a situation that could tempt Gary O’Neil to trial a new position for Tommy Doyle.
Wolves are in touching distance of claiming a spot in Europe next season as Gary O’Neil continues to defy the odds at Molineux.
There was little hope at the time of the Englishman’s arrival after Julen Lopetegui’s swift exit, with fears of the squad’s lack of depth surfaced.
With 10 games left to play, O’Neil has proved many wrong as Wolves sit just three points off seventh place and firmly in the race to seal a place in the Europa Conference League next term.
There has been no smoke without fire, with the current injury crisis presenting a new set of even higher hurdles for the manager and his squad to overcome, with a host of key players absent.
Wolves’ squad is struggling for numbers
From the start of the season, the Old Gold have been aware of the size of their squad, caused by the loss of star players in the summer who departed without replacement.
As a result of the financial woes that surrounded Molineux in the summer, O’Neil has been unable to provide the squad with the replenishments needed to bolster the depth.
The front line has suffered significant losses of late, with Pablo Sarabia the only senior player currently available in attack, as seen against Coventry City.
With Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha all unavailable at present, O’Neil could look once more to other players in the squad that have a transferable skillset in the final third.
Tommy Doyle could help relieve Wolves’ injury woes
Against Coventry in the FA Cup quarter-final, the manager was forced to start 19-year-old Nathan Fraser to lead the line, with defensive midfielder Mario Lemina called upon to pad out the attack.
While Cunha is believed to be nearing a return, the other losses in the front line will need to be addressed, with one star having the potential to fill one area behind the striker.
Tommy Doyle has taken up a rather sporadic role this season however, now could be the time for O’Neil to lean on the Manchester City loanee’s playmaking qualities.
The Englishman’s strengths have been seen this term, with his display against West Brom hailed as “quality” by Andy Thompson.
While the 22-year-old is most comfortable playing in central midfield, the manager could be tempted to test the limits of his creative side in a more advanced role to support the depleted attack.
In the Championship last season while on loan at Sheffield United, Doyle was the catalyst to inspiring play to transition into attack, averaging 1.1 key passes per game and creating six big chances, via Sofascore.
Doyle not only has the experience to leave his defensive duties behind to exploit his playmaking strengths but most importantly has displayed that he has the quality to provide for his Wolves teammates.
Having seen Lemina lineup in the final third last time out, there are no limits to how O’Neil could rotate his side to bolster the front line, with the 22-year-old surely a player to consider in the near future.