Nasser Djiga made his full debut for Wolves against Bournemouth – and former full-back Andy Thompson dropped his verdict on the new signing after the game.
The Burkina Faso international signed for the club on transfer deadline day along with Marshall Munetsi, becoming the second centre-back to sign for the club after Emmanuel Agbadou.
Agbadou has made a fantastic impact for Wolves so far, although he is now injured.
Him being on the sidelines potentially opens the door for Nasser Djiga, although his lack of experience will likely mean Vitor Pereira doesn’t start him over Santiago Bueno.
But on Saturday, Djiga did make his full debut against Bournemouth, replacing Matt Doherty on the right of the back three.
And former Andy Thompson shared what he made of him after the 1-0 defeat.
- READ MORE: Nasser Djiga has already told Wolves exactly why he should replace Emmanuel Agbadou vs Bournemouth
Andy Thompson impressed by Nasser Djiga against Bournemouth after ‘nervous’ Wolves debut
Djiga had made his debut for Wolves against Bournemouth in the 1-0 win in the Premier League, playing the final 20 minutes or so.
And Pereira decided to throw Djiga in from the start at the same ground of the FA Cup fifth-round clash with the Cherries.
Given the struggles of Bueno lately, this was a good chance for Djiga to perhaps send a message to the manager.
Wolves fans weren’t blown away by Djiga against Bournemouth in the league, but Andy Thompson liked what he saw from Djiga for the most part on Saturday, insisting he looked much more composed than last time out.
He said: “He did look a lot better. He looked very nervous last week, I think the nerves got the better of him last week. Djiga looked a little bit more composed, and looked like he’d settled down.
“Probably another week in training has helped him a bit, getting to know his players. He looked a lot more confident in his play. he looked very nervous last week. Look, he’s come to a new club, he’s coming to a top league, so he’s going to feel nervous. But you’ve got to deal with it in this league if you’re going to continue to play. He was a lot better.”
Djiga is in a tricky position at Wolves
Djiga was undoubtedly better on Saturday than he was on his debut.
It is going to take him some time to get used to the Premier League and the likelihood is that he will not be following in the footsteps of Agbadou, who is more experienced.
There is huge pressure on Wolves right now given their league position, and Pereira may be slightly reluctant to put his faith in Djiga given his lack of experience.
| Nasser Djiga vs Bournemouth |
| Minutes played – 86 |
| Touches – 30 |
| Passes completed – 12/17 (71%) |
| Duels won – 2/5 (40%) |
| Defensive actions – 7 |
That said, the 22-year-old was playing in the Champions League earlier this season with Red Star Belgrade, so hopefully he does get to a position where he’s giving Pereira a big decision to make.
Pereira is a big fan of Matt Doherty it seems, having praised the player’s personality after Saturday’s defeat. So he is the man probably the man Djiga will be looking to oust from the starting XI.