Neves hits wall but he is dynamite
NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO saluted the input of
Ruben Neves as “fantastic” – but teased him over his failure to hit a free-kick on target.
The Portuguese boss paid tribute to his compatriot, one of
Wolves’ most consistent performers again this season.
Neves will be in the reckoning when the club’s gongs are handed out at the end of a tricky campaign.
With the Euro finals around the corner – and Portugal are reigning title-holders – there is scope for the dynamic midfielder, 24, to increase his worth.
Nuno says Neves is capable but believes there is room for improvement, particularly beating the wall in deadball situations.
He said: “What I see in Ruben is a player who is very important for us.
He’s fantastic.
“He’s one of our captains. He’s been here four years now, for a long time sustaining his performance levels. He’s a better player than when he arrived.
“He’s played in the
Championship and now he’s a senior player, he has responsibilities.
“He’s able and capable of doing much better.
“The talent is there, the work ethic is there, but I truly believe there’s always something we can improve. Our idea is clear, we look at all aspects of a player.
“And if you look at Ruben, he has things he cannot improve upon and some things he can.
“Recently he’s had a lot of free-kicks and he’s not even got the ball on the goal.
“He’s not tested the keeper. We all realise how good he is at that. How many goals he’s scored from free-kicks before.
But it’s been a while since he scored one, isn’t it?”
Nuno will find out this week if star Raul Jimenez will be given the green light to resume his duties up front.
The Mexican has been training with the first team as he battles back from a severe head injury.
Wolves have recorded two victories at Spurs in their previous visits and Nuno feels he has a special group at Molineux.
He added: “What we have is unique. Sometimes, special people come together at the same time. This is what I mean by unique.
“When we were in the Championship, there were more English than Portuguese. That changed. The number of foreign players increased but that didn’t alter the dynamic of the team.
“That’s because special players came together at the same time. They were united in a special way.”