Luke Cundle has admitted there is one player at Wolves he just finds really easy to play with.
The midfielder is back with the squad this summer following a season out on loan with Plymouth Argyle and then Stoke City.
Cundle, who made his Wolves first-team debut in the 2019/20 season, made 27 appearances for Argyle, before moving to Stoke, for whom he made 16 appearances.
It was a productive season for the 22-year-old, and it followed a stint at Swansea City the season before.
So it has been two seasons of regular football for Cundle, who is now seeking to impress Gary O’Neil.
With Boubacar Traore on Olympics duty, it is perhaps a chance for Cundle to stake a claim to be further up the pecking order.
Luke Cundle admits he has been loving playing alongside Wolves captain Mario Lemina
So far, Cundle has featured in all of Wolves’ pre-season matches.
He has been able to get decent minutes, with Traore away at the Olympics and also Joao Gomes being given extra-time off following his exertions at the Copa America.
It remains to be seen if he will be sticking around. But he has certainly enjoyed pre-season so far – and Cundle says he has particularly enjoyed playing alongside new club captain Mario Lemina.
He said (via Wolves official): “Playing with Mario’s quite easy really, if you give him a bad pass, he makes it look good because he keeps the ball so well.
“I’ve been training with him in the middle for the last few weeks and I’ve been really enjoying it.”
Cundle recently impressed in Marbella when he won a brutal running session.
Lemina must be a joy to play with
Cundle’s comments will probably come as no surprise, because Lemina has been fantastic since he stepped through the door at Wolves.
The former Southampton and Fulham man has proven to be an inspired signing for Wanderers, who paid just under £10 million to sign him in January 2023 from Nice.
The ball is like a magnet to him. He is always heavily involved for Wolves and as Cundle says, he can bail out people who have played him a poor ball thanks to his physicality.
The recent decision to make him the new captain at Molineux was an inspired one. He has given off captain vibes since he arrived, and you get the sense he will absolutely relish wearing the armband from here on in.