How Toti Gomes truly felt during injury setback after Wolves star made ‘special’ return

Toti Gomes made his first appearance since returning from injury on Saturday as Wolves clinched a fantastic 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

Toti missed four games with a hamstring injury and his last start was in Wolves’ 2-0 win over Manchester United on Boxing Day.

Following that fixture, Vitor Pereira’s men lost three of their next four and conceded a whopping 11 goals in the process, with Wolves certainly missing their centre-back.

So, when he was reinstated into the starting lineup against Aston Villa, there was no surprise to see the Old Gold look transformed defensively.

Pereira thinks Toti is crucial to Wolves’ success due to being left-footed and the most capable of in the squad at playing on that side.

Now, the 26-year-old has opened up on how he felt during his spell on the sidelines.

• READ MORE: Marshall Munetsi reveals one Wolves player was ‘so excited’ when he signed – now he’s not at the club

Wolves star Toti Gomes opens up on his ‘difficult’ time with injury

It’s never easy for any player to watch their teammates struggle on the pitch and not be able to do anything about it.

Toti witnessed his side suffer defeats against Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, and Chelsea while on the injury table, describing the period as ‘difficult’.

“I was watching the games from home or from the stands, knowing that I couldn’t help the team, it was difficult for me, but it’s really good to come back now and know that I can help the team, and I will always do my best to help this team,” Toti told Wolves official website.

On his return to the side, though, the Portuguese defender produced a near faultless display as Wolves claimed the bragging rights over the Midlands rivals, and for Toti, it was a ‘special’ moment.

“I feel good, the first 90 minutes back,” he added. “Of course, you never know how it’ll go, but with adrenaline and everything, and I knew how special this game is, I had to give everything of myself to play the whole game.”

Toti’s turnaround at Wolves is underrated

At the beginning of this season, Toti was slammed for his ‘clumsy’ performances for Wolves, particularly in the 6-2 defeat to Chelsea in August.

It became instantly clear that Gary O’Neil’s experiment of changing to a four-man defence was never going to work, and Wolves paid the price.

Toti has never looked comfortable playing alongside just one other player and prefers operating in a three-man defence, with the license to drive forward on the left side and spray passes forward.

That is exactly why Toti is now one of Wolves’ most important players, as he’s become indispensable in Pereira’s system and he’s flourishing as a result.

From being lambasted by supporters at the start of the season to now being rated highly by them, it’s been some turnaround for the Portuguese star, who will only continue to improve with more game time.