Matheus Nunes is still public enemy number one for a lot of Wolves fans – but seemingly he still respected and liked by many of the players.
Wolves went to the Etihad Stadium yesterday and were on the end of a thrashing, with Erling Haaland putting on a finishing masterclass.
The Norwegian sensation scored four of City’s five goals to take a commanding lead in the race for the Golden Boot, and gave Max Kilman and Toti Gomes a lot of problems throughout the game.
It was always going to be a tall order for Wolves to get something from the game against arguably the best side in world football.
There was frustration about the Rayan Ait-Nouri challenge on Josko Gvardiol, especially from Arsenal legend Ian Wright on Match of the Day.
But Wolves were soundly beaten and didn’t really deserve anything points-wise on the day.
By the end, many Wolves fans were simply glad that Matheus Nunes didn’t get in on the act. He is still a divisive figure at Molineux given the way he left the club. But it would seem he is still highly thought of by the Wolves players…
Matheus Nunes waited for his former Wolves teammates after warming up for Man City yesterday
Nunes started on the bench for City yesterday – something that has been fairly common for him this term after leaving Molineux.
Nunes has found it hard breaking into the starting XI, with Pep Guardiola seemingly not yet trusting him in his system.
A lot of Wolves fans have taken great satisfaction in this, because many did not like him going on strike last summer in order to force his £53 million move to City.
Nunes has spoken about his behavior a couple of times, insisting he simply did it because he could not let the opportunity pass him by. Some Wolves fans have accepted that, but plenty of others feel he was disrespectful.
But Nunes retains a solid bond with his former Wolves teammates.
It was reported yesterday by journalist Joe Bray of the Manchester Evening News that Nunes waited for the Wolves squad after the team warm-ups so he could briefly catch up with them. He wrote on X: Matheus Nunes waits for the Wolves squad to go back to the dressing room and gets hugs/jokes from all of them. No hard feelings from them after his strike this summer to force his move to City.”
Wolves fans’ frustrations are understandable
So Nunes is still very pally with the Wolves players and clearly, he was a popular individual while he was at the club.
It is just a shame the way his exit materialised.
Not turning up for training is never a good look. Surely, Wolves would have still cooperated had he behaved in a professional manner, because the club had interest in Tommy Doyle.
The club were clearly open to doing a deal, especially given the financial problems at the time. For many, it feels like Nunes didn’t need to do what he did.
The player has previously hinted there is more to the full story. It remains to be seen if he will share those details, but Nunes being booed by some yesterday was understandable, and it will probably continue every time he faces the club in the future.