Former Wolves full-backs Lee Naylor and Andy Thompson have praised Mario Lemina for the impact he has had since coming into midfield.
Lemina made his third appearance of the season against Liverpool on Saturday, and his second start in a row.
He lined up with Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in midfield, as was the case against Manchester City.
And it was an inspired decision to stick with that trio by Julen Lopetegui, with Liverpool’s engine room far inferior in the day.
And it was Lemina who arguably stole the show for Wolves.
He was excellent in breaking up play and was relentless and tenacious.
The 29-year-old operated a little deeper against the Reds, which allowed Neves and Nunes to get further forward and have an influence.
It was a hugely impressive performance from the Gabon international, and Naylor and Thompson both lavished praise on him afterwards.
Naylor said (Wolves official): “He’s seen what players he has in the dressing room and the players know each other’s role. You’ve got players aware of situations on the pitch and can help each other out.
“It gives licence to people to go forward, because you know you’ve got the security at the back and Lemina gobbled everything up.”
Thompson added: “He was very effective in the way he played. Wanting the ball, dropping into the backline so he could receive it.
“He was outstanding, especially in the first half. He got around and made it difficult for Liverpool. Liverpool found it hard to get passing going because we kept blocking things off and he was the influence in there.
“He’s got mobility in the midfield area, to give them problems getting about the pitch. We start one of the things we needed was legs in there and we’ve got it with him. He can play, he can break things up and it’s refreshing to see.”
Mario Lemina is a wonderful addition to Wolves’ midfield and has alreay made a huge impact
This was some performance from Lemina, and it’s going to be brilliant watching him playing alongside Neves and Nunes in the coming months.
He really does complement the Portuguese duo perfectly.
Lemina is all about getting about the pitch and putting out fires. He’s impressively mobile, athletic and strong.
And it’s really good that he can operate in that deeper role too, as Neves and his creativity can be used a little higher up.
As good as Neves is in that holding midfield role, it does sometimes feel as though he is a bit wasted there, given his ability to shoot from long distance and clip balls over the top.