Former Molineux midfielder Dave Edwards believes Tommy Doyle could become a really important figure for Wolves this season.
Edwards has spoken about Doyle in his latest Express & Star column, after the midfielder came on against Newcastle United on Saturday. Doyle replaced Boubacar Traore in the second-half.
Doyle, on the fringes at Molineux at the moment, came on and gave another good account of himself. The weekend before, he had also started on the bench but came on at half-time with Wolves trailing 1-0 to Bournemouth.
He had a great impact that day at the Vitality, and gave Wolves more control. In the end, Wanderers were able to come from behind to win.
Against Newcastle, Doyle again showed a willingness to get on the ball. He sought to play forwards and break the lines, and arguably made a bigger impact than the man he replaced Traore.
In the eyes of Edwards, Doyle could well become a key player for Wolves in the coming weeks and months…
Dave Edwards feels Tommy Doyle could become a significant player for Wolves after recent cameos
Doyle has now made five appearances for Wolves. He’s only started one game so far, which was against Ipswich Town in the Carabao Cup.
Potentially, he is knocking on the door for a start. He certainly brings a technical quality that the other midfielders don’t really have.
Traore, Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina are mainly ball-winners. So Doyle is certainly a useful player to have in the squad.
For Edwards, Doyle should start seeing more involvement later in the season. He said: “Tommy Doyle did well when he came on, the way he moved the ball around and how aggressive he was with his passing.
“I really think he can be an important figure for Wolves this season.”
Doyle has made a bright start, Edwards could be right
We haven’t seen a great deal of Doyle so far. But there have definitely been promising signs across his five appearances.
The last two cameos he’s made have been particularly encouraging.
Doyle came to Wolves having not had a pre-season due to being on England U21 duty. He also arrived at the club with a knock and wasn’t fully fit right away. Doyle therefore said he knew he wouldn’t be getting too many minutes initially.
So Wolves fans can expect his level to increase as the season goes on, and also his prominence in the team.
The fact he’s a technical player will surely mean he’ll get plenty of opportunities under Gary O’Neil.