Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil has offered more praise for midfielder Tommy Doyle after the 2-1 win at Bournemouth.
Wolves headed down to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon for a game Gary O’Neil surely had circled on his calendar.
O’Neil was axed by the Cherries at the end of last season and, even if he plays it down in the media, he would have wanted some revenge.
Wolves had to battle back from 1-0 down but got the win O’Neil wanted with Matheus Cunha and Sasa Kalajdzic on the scoresheet.
That will have been so sweet for O’Neil, who is already eight points ahead of Bournemouth with this Wolves side.
Gary O’Neil hails Wolves midfielder Tommy Doyle
O’Neil will always say that this was more about the team than himself, and that includes his substitutes.
Joao Gomes was hooked at half time in favour of Tommy Doyle with Wolves 1-0 down at the break.
Doyle managed to make a big impact, playing a line-splitting pass to find Pedro Neto in the build-up to Cunha’s leveller.
The 22-year-old – on loan from Manchester City but with a £4.3million option to buy in 2024 – has yet to start a league game for Wolves.
O’Neil has been very impressed though, picking him out for credit whilst speaking on Monday Night Football for Sky Sports.
O’Neil suggested that Doyle brought ‘unbelievable quality’ when he came on for Wolves, hailing his passing and his ability to pick Bournemouth in 4v3 build-up situations.
“The sub that I have got to credit; Tommy Doyle because once we brought him on, he brought us some unbelievable quality with his passing and we managed to maximise this four vs three in this instance,” said O’Neil.
Doyle knocking on the door for Wolves
O’Neil went with Gomes and Boubacar Traore in midfield, but clearly felt that Doyle could make a big impact.
Mario Lemina will be back from suspension soon enough but Doyle is still staking his claim for more first-team action.
O’Neil has been bringing him along gradually since his late move to Molineux and we saw some of his Manchester City schooling on Saturday.
That composure on the ball and ability to pick meaningful passes into the final third is just so valuable and O’Neil is clearly impressed.
Forcing his way into the Wolves side won’t be easy but all Doyle can do is shine when given an opportunity – as he did at Bournemouth.