Gary O’Neil has explained why he handed 18-year-old Leon Chiwome his first Premier League start against Aston Villa.
Wolves returned to Premier League action on Saturday evening and succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Champions League-chasing Aston Villa.
Gary O’Neil‘s men started the match off promising, as Paul Robinson hailed Tommy Doyle for pulling the strings in the middle of the park, but they couldn’t make their early dominance count.
Villa forward Moussa Diaby punished Rayan Ait-Nouri for missing a gilt-edged chance, adding a second through Ezri Konsa midway through the second half.
O’Neil believes the outcome would have been different if he had attacking players Pedro Neto, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan at his disposal, instead, he handed Leon Chiwome his first Premier League start.
Gary O’Neil explains why he started Leon Chiwome
Wolves have been made to pay for injuries and not investing well in the transfer window, as the only two natural strikers he had to pick from against Villa were teenagers Nathan Fraser and Chiwome.
Fraser is the academy graduate O’Neil has called upon the most this term, with the 19-year-old making nine senior appearances, netting in the Carabao Cup against Blackpool and in an FA Cup tie at home to Brentford.
The teenager has drawn several plaudits, with the manager branding him as “unbelievable” for always giving 150% for the badge while rewarding him with starts against Fulham in the Premier League and Coventry in the FA Cup quarter-final.
After struggling against the Sky Blues, as Wolves were knocked out, O’Neil dropped him for Chiwome against Aston Villa and has now explained why.
He acknowledged that, while there isn’t much between them, he felt Chiwome would offer his side more pace in behind Emery’s high line.
“I thought he could give us something a bit different,” O’Neil told the E&S. “I felt Leon has a little bit more pace and it was important we had a look.
“There’s not too much between the two at this moment and it was important that we know what we’ve got in both of them.”
How Leon Chiwome performed against Aston Villa
Chiwome was thrust into a difficult environment, but as O’Neil said after the game, the teenage striker gave a good account of himself.
He said: “I’m proud of the work he has done to get himself in this position and I thought he gave a decent account of himself.”
Unlike Fraser against Coventry, Chiwome looked lively and made piercing runs behind the Villa defence.
He looked like he could handle himself physically against the likes of Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa while linking play well with an 88% pass completion.
Chiwome will be disappointed that he didn’t get the opportunities in front of goal that his runs deserved, registering just one blocked shot in the match, but as his manager said, he can be proud of the performance he’s put in.
The 18-year-old has held his own against one of the best teams in the Premier League, which certainly points towards a bright future at Molineux.