Wolves captured youngster Tawanda Chirewa from Ipswich Town in the summer. The 20-year-old has made an instant impression at Molineux and midfielder Mario Lemina has done one thing to help him.
Gary O’Neil has done an excellent job at Wolves under the circumstances. The former Bournemouth manager has had to deal with several injuries to key first-team players, which has forced him into using academy talents.
Nathan Fraser was the first notable inclusion from the Old Gold’s affluent academy, scoring and assisting on his debut in a 5-0 thrashing of Blackpool in the Carabao Cup.
O’Neil has also seen fellow striker Leon Chiwome emerge from the academy, although a recent injury has scuppered his development.
To summarize how highly rated their youth set-up is, 15-year-old Wesley Okoduwa has been named on the bench on several occasions, including in the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal.
Although not directly from the academy, having arrived from Ipswich Town in the summer, Tawanda Chirewa is another youngster who has made a positive impression in the first team.
Mario Lemina has helped Tawanda Chirewa settle in
After coming through the youth ranks at Ipswich, Wolves captured Chirewa in September last year.
A “highly-rated” attacking midfielder – as described by talent scout Antonio Mango – the 2003-born talent slotted straight into the under-21’s, where he’s scored five goals in seven Premier League 2 appearances.
This blistering form and injuries to key attackers rewarded Chirewa his first Premier League appearance in January, coming off the bench against Brighton.
Having impressed O’Neil in cameos against Aston Villa, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, he was given his first start against Arsenal and held his own against the league’s best defence.
It’s never easy for a young player to settle in at a new club, but midfielder Mario Lemina believed in his talent from the minute he walked through the door at Molineux, with Chirewa revealing what advice the Gabon international has given him.
“Over the last couple of months, Mario [Lemina] has been helping me day-to-day and giving me advice before games and after games, and what I can do,” Chirewa told Wolves official.
“He told me to just go out there and show everyone how good I can be.”
Mario Lemina is a top-class leader
Lemina’s performances this season have been fantastic but he’s also shown top-class leadership, and the way he’s helped Chirewa settle in just proves how much of an important figure he is to Wolves.
In the aftermath of the defeat to Bournemouth, he was the first to take to social media and apologise to supporters, doing so in the loss to West Ham too.
Indeed, instead of focusing on the two controversial decisions in those fixtures, Lemina commented on his teams’ performance and how they can improve.
The £45k-a-week titan the precedent with his actions on and off the pitch, painting himself as a positive role model for youngsters coming through, with Chirewa the latest to benefit from his words of wisdom.
