Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has selected an ‘incredible’ Wolves player as the ‘standout’ for Gary O’Neil in 2023/24.
Wolves achieved a 14th-place finish in the Premier League in Gary O’Neil’s first campaign in charge.
It’s a position that could have been a lot better or worse for the Old Gold as while many expected a relegation battle, the Wanderers were fighting for Europe at one point.
On the whole, it was a much-improved campaign under O’Neil – who tookover from Julen Lopetegui last August – and instantly transformed the fortunes of several players.
Matheus Cunha went from being a shell of his former self to a player oozing with confidence, Nelson Semedo enjoyed his best campaign in gold and Rayan Ait-Nouri was arguably their most important player.
Micah Richards labels Rayan Ait-Nouri as ‘standout’ Wolves player
Everyone associated with Wolves knew that Ait-Nouri was an “incredible” talent, he just needed someone to unlock his potential.
O’Neil successfully did that during the 2023/24 campaign as the silky Algerian was a constant in the left wing-back role, and even flourished as part of the front three.
The £10k-a-week whiz didn’t necessarily produce the metrics, recording three goals and two assists in all competitions but he did show a marked improvement.
Ait-Nouri is a joy to watch when he’s weaving in and out of defenders at pace and leaving the opposition for dead, with Micah Richards praising the Wolves’ talent.
Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Richards picked out Pablo Sarabia, Matheus Cunha, Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes for plaudits but it was Ait-Nouri who he labelled as his standout.
“But the standout for me was Ait-Nouri from left-back at times going into midfield as well when needed,” the former Man City defender said.
“Sometimes even the free role. I just think they have got some really top players, and I think O’Neil has done a really good job to get them playing in that attacking sort of style of play.”
Gary O’Neil can use his portfolio to attract more players this summer
O’Neil’s ever-growing reputation for turning players from rags to riches is highly commendable and it opens up many possibilities.
Whilst it demonstrates his impeccable man-management skills, it also breathes confidence into other players, so when they’re being eyed by Wolves in the window, they can look at how many individual talents he’s improved.
He’s done so with the likes of Cunha, Joao Gomes, Semedo and Toti Gomes, evincing his ability to work with the tools he’s been presented and show how highly respected he should be.
O’Neil is currently mapping out the upcoming transfer window and it appears a striker is red hot on the agenda. Southampton’s Che Adams has drawn the most links while the Wanderers could reportedly go in for Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah too.
Those are two examples of players he could turn into a goal machine if they signed for the club, and in turn, prove that he’s gifted at coaching talents bereft of confidence.