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£10m Wolves gem sends message to Vitor Pereira from afar with dazzling display

It was a frustrating weekend for Wolves after coming so close to getting a first Premier League win, but there was joy for one player who is currently away from the squad.

Wolves looked on course to get their first three points of the season as they led Spurs 1-0 in injury-time.

But right at the death, Joao Palhinha scored for Spurs, firing home from the edge of the box.

It was a huge shame, because Wolves’ performance had merited maximum points.

But there were still plenty of positives to take for Vitor Pereira, who will hope next weekend’s game with Brighton will bring that elusive first victory.

But while many Wolves players will have been disappointed in the last couple of days, it was at least a very good weekend for forgotten man Enso Gonzalez.

Enso Gonzalez scores for Paraguay at U20s World Cup

Enso Gonzalez celebrates after scoring for Paraguay U20s at the World Cup.
Photo by Martín Fonseca/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Gonzalez did not head out on loan in the summer, which came as a slight surprise.

But Wolves seemingly felt the best decision would be to keep hold of £10 million signing (BBC Sport) Gonzalez, possibly to play games for the academy either side of this World Cup in Chile.

Gonzalez scored for Paraguay recently in a warm-up game against Colombia, which boded well for him ahead of the tournament.

And Gonzalez is now already off the mark in Chile, as he scored in a 3-2 victory for Paraguay in their first group stage game against Panama.

Gonzalez got Paraguay’s second goal to make it 2-1, arriving late into the box and volleying home. It was a great finish for the Wolves man – and the rest of his performance was seemingly also quite good.

As per Sofascore data, Gonzalez contested 16 ground duels in the game – only three other players contested more and only one from Paraguay – winning six of those.

He was fairly involved, having 52 touches. And he rarely wasted a pass, completing 23/25 (92%). Three of these were ‘key’ passes – no player in the game made more.

Gonzalez could get January loan

It is good to see Gonzalez making an impact at the U20 World Cup, and Wolves officials will no doubt be keeping a close eye on him.

It was perhaps a message to Pereira back at Wolves, although you would suspect any involvement for the first-team this season will still be unlikely.

Gonzalez suffered a major setback last year when he suffered an ACL injury while playing for Paraguay at the Olympics.

So this season is mainly about getting minutes into his legs.

One would imagine that a loan move in January could be an option if Gonzalez continues to impress at the World Cup and then back at Compton.