Santiago Bueno was in action once again for Uruguay last night – and one publication has offered its verdict on the Wolves man.
Bueno is set to see more involvement for Wolves after the international break, after a fairly low-key start in terms of his minutes in 2024/25.
Gary O’Neil started the season by playing Yerson Mosquera and Toti Gomes together at the back. Craig Dawson has come back into the backline in recent weeks, but Bueno could not get a run in the team.
After the defeat to Brentford, O’Neil suggested Wolves could move to a back three.
Ahead of this possibility, it was perhaps important for Bueno to get some involvement with Uruguay over the international break – and he has certainly done that.
Wolves star Santiago Bueno enjoys decent outing against Ecuador
Bueno came in for praise from a couple of Uruguayan outlets for his performance last week against Peru, which Uruguay lost 1-0.
He played a full game, and was back starting again for his country against Ecuador last night.
The game ended 0-0 and El Pais noted that Bueno made a fairly average start to the game but grew into the contest in the second-half.
They said: “He had a regular first half and improved a lot in the second half. In the first-half he did not start firmly and starred in a loss at the start in front of Minda’s mark, but then Ugarte sent it to the corner kick.
“In the second 45 minutes he showed security in two key closures: one on Enner Valencia and another on attacker Kevin Rodríguez.”
El Observador gave a similar verdict, writing: “He started with an important mistake at the start that brought danger to the Uruguayan goal.
“In the second-half he started much better, with another poise and fundamental substitutions.”
One Uruguay fan and writer was impressed though, writing on X: “Santiago Bueno is the best player of the match. He is a good pacesetter, solid in 1v1 duels and provides excellent ball handling. An excellent match for the Wolverhampton defender.”
As per Sofascore data, Bueno completed 41/43 (95%) passes, one of which was ‘key’. But he only won 1/4 duels in the game.
A huge period for Bueno at Wolves
Bueno will now return to Wolves ahead of what is probably the most important period of his time at the club so far.
Wolves are in a pretty concerning situation right now and have conceded far too many goals.
It looks as though Bueno could be in line for a run in the team at Molineux, following hints of a formation change from the Wolves manager.
| Santiago Bueno at Wolves |
| Total appearances – 21 |
| Starts – 17 |
| Minutes played – 1565 |
| Transfer fee – £8.5m |
Bueno hasn’t quite proven himself in a Wolves shirt yet but this is now a big chance for him to show why it was that Wolves bought him from Girona.
Wolves were said to have considered loan Bueno out in the summer, so this is also an opportunity for him to prove that the club should never have even entertained that particular idea.