Wolves return to Premier League action against West Ham on Saturday, with Gary O’Neil needing to unleash one exciting player who can make all the difference.
After drawing 1-1 against Burnley on Tuesday night, Gary O’Neil‘s men host West Ham in the Premier League looking to get their hopes of qualifying for Europe back on track.
Currently three points behind the Hammers with a game in hand, Wolves are in a strong position to gatecrash a European place, however, injury woes have held them back in recent weeks.
The loss against Aston Villa last weekend highlighted their current issues in that department, as O’Neil’s side were stripped bare of attacking quality as he had to rely on 18-year-old Leon Chiwome to lead the line.
A similar narrative unfolded at Turf Moor, with Rayan Ait-Nouri scoring his third goal in four games to rescue a point for the visitors.
Wolves team news vs West Ham
On the back of a horrendous few weeks on the injury front for Wolves, O’Neil is starting to get some of his first-team players back at the perfect time.
Matheus Cunha came off the bench for 14 minutes against Burnley, his first action since returning from an injury picked up against Brentford.
Wolves were also without Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Craig Dawson for that clash, however, it is hoped that the duo will be in contention to face the Hammers.
Hwang Hee-Chan is back on grass and could return to the fold in the next fortnight, while Pedro Neto is expected to be sidelined till mid-May.
Having Dawson and Bellegarde back would be a huge boost, as O’Neil could revert to his tried and trusted back three, but he also needs to unleash one of his star talents from the off this weekend.
Matheus Cunha must start against Burnley
Without their key attacking talent, Wolves have looked bereft of ideas in attack but the return of Cunha can see that change.
Although O’Neil is still without his chief creator Neto, the Brazilian forward can at least offer them some potency in the attacking third, an attribute that has been sorely missed recently.
Chiwome and Nathan Fraser, although talented, aren’t ready to lead the line for a Premier League side and could benefit from a loan spell elsewhere.
Cunha, meanwhile, was having an excellent campaign before injury struck having produced nine goals and supplied six assists in 25 top-flight appearances.
The “unbelievable” Brazilian, dubbed “exciting to watch” by talent scout Antonio Mango, also ranks in the top 4% of strikers in Europe for progressive carries and the top 3% for successful take-ons.
A goal-scoring machine, but equally excellent at linking play, Wolves’ £60k-a-week star can provide them with the class and quality to unlock West Ham’s defence on Saturday.