Matheus Cunha returned to the Wolves starting XI at the weekend – and paid tribute to one of his teammates who really stepped up in his absence.
The Brazilian recently returned from a hamstring injury, making cameo appearances against Burnley and West Ham United.
Cunha was finally handed a start by Gary O’Neil against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and repaid his manager’s faith by scoring two goals – the first being very special indeed.
He has taken his tally to 13 for the season, with 11 of those coming in the Premier League.
Fans are delighted that he is back and now amongst the goals again, and while European football will be tricky, Wolves can certainly hope for a top-half finish.
Cunha missed just under two months for Wolves, and there was one player he felt really stepped up while he was out…
Matheus Cunha lauds ‘unbelievable’ Rayan Ait-Nouri after returning for Wolves
Wolves looked a totally different proposition with Cunha back in attack against Forest.
It has been a bit of a struggle recently with Nathan Fraser and Leon Chiwome both lacking that experience at Premier League level.
But the difference with Cunha playing on Saturday was clear, and the Brazilian just improves the team immensely.
While he, Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto were all out though, there was one player who really came to the fore for O’Neil, and that player has now come in for praise from Cunha.
He said (via Wolves official): “But Gary and his staff have come in with unbelievable ideas and pushed us to be the best of us. But of course, with Neto, Channy [Hwang], everyone, but even now with Rayan [Ait-Nouri], he did an unbelievable job but then he gets an injury when I come back, so we didn’t get to play together.”
Rayan Ait-Nouri did not make Wolves’ matchday squad on Saturday, after failing to recover from a calf injury he picked up against West Ham.
The injury is only minor though, and it is expected the Algerian will be back available against Arsenal.
Ait-Nouri came in clutch for Wolves
Wolves fans feared the worst when Cunha, Hwang and Neto all got injured around the same time, but the form of Ait-Nouri helped to cushion that triple blow.
The 22-year-old was moved further forward by O’Neil, a decision that was recently described by pundit Paul Merson as a ‘masterstroke’.
Ait-Nouri’s attacking qualities have always been clear, but the star fared better than anticipated, scoring goals against Fulham, Burnley and Coventry City. Had he been a bit more clinical, he could also have found the net against Aston Villa and Burnley for a second time.
The talented youngster has been a real success story this season, after famously being left out of a string of matchday squads last season by Julen Lopetegui.
But O’Neil saw the quality and potential the moment he stepped through the door, and has worked with him to get him to this amazing level we see today.