‘I GOT SO PED UP ON SUBS BENCH’

BY

PEDRO NETO admits it has been very tough watching fast-improving Wolves from the sidelines.

The Portugual star, 23, shone after being deployed in an experimental No.9 role by boss Gary O’neil in the goalless stalemate at Brighton on Monday night.

It was a first start for Neto since October after a hamstring injury, and he was left on for 89 minutes as the biggest threat to the Seagulls, but longer than O’neil had planned.

Despite Neto attracting admiring glances from Liverpool and Arsenal, O’neil made it very clear that “there is no chance our good players are leaving in this window”.

But Neto was just delighted to be back in the starting line-up where he delivered a man-of-thematch display.

And next up will be arch-rivals West Brom in the FA Cup.

Neto (above, right) said: “I was waiting for this, to start a game, for a long time. I spoke to the coach before the game and he was telling me I had to be patient. Even when I was back on the bench after being taken off I was thinking, ‘I don’t like to be here!’. I suffer a lot more off the pitch than on the pitch.

“I was thinking, ‘I can’t watch this’ – so it has been really difficult for me. Since my injury, I have really enjoyed a lot playing football again. For the FA

Cup game against West Brom, I am very excited because people are talking about it a lot – I am really looking forward to it.

“It was very difficult against Brighton, but it was a good point.”

■■WOLVES’ Colombia defender Yerson Mosquera, 22, is set to join Villarreal on loan, and was having a medical with La Liga club last night.