Molineux legends Lee Naylor and Andy Thompson were both full of praise for Rayan Ait-Nouri after Wolves’ win over Fulham.
Wanderers have moved up to ninth in the Premier League table, after a brilliant 2-1 victory over the Cottagers at Molineux.
Ait-Nouri opened the scoring early in the second-half, before Nelson Semedo’s strike from the edge of the box took a deflection off Tom Cairney. Alex Iwobi scored a consolation for the visitors with the last kick of the game.
It was a game that saw Ait-Nouri really come to the fore for Wolves, with Pedro Neto going off injured earlier in the match.
He was described as ‘the difference between two good teams’ by Ashley Williams on Match of the Day, and Wolves legends Lee Naylor and Andy Thompson have also lauded the Algerian…
Naylor and Thompson see possible Gareth Bale transformation for Wolves star Rayan Ait-Nouri
Ait-Nouri enjoyed perhaps his best performance in a Wolves shirt on Saturday against Fulham.
Gary O’Neil sprung a surprise by going with a back four, with Ait-Nouri initially operating as a left-back. But eventually, he ended up operating further forward, even cropping up on the right wing.
Ait-Nouri has always looked really good further up the pitch. His defending has improved a lot in recent times, but the 22-year-old has brilliant feet and looks very useful higher up.
Former Wolves full-backs Naylor and Thompson spoke about Ait-Nouri on Matchday Live Extra after the game, and suggested that he should continue to play in a more advanced role.
Naylor said: “Why not (he should play in the front three)? I always bring it up – Classic Bale, Gareth Bale. He’s never been a left-back. I don’t think Ait-Nouri has ever been a left-back. Left wing-back he can get away with. I think he can play winger all day long.”
Thompson added: “I think so as well. I think him playing further on or more advanced suits him. We’ve seen him a few times where he switches off and gets caught ball-watching.”
Naylor added: “I just think, he’s got so much ability, but awareness in a defensive formation for 90 minutes… no.”
Ait-Nouri can flourish as a winger
Ait-Nouri’s performance against Fulham was extremely exciting, because it showed that he definitely has the capacity to play as a winger.
We’ve seen him play as a left winger before for Wolves on occasion, and now it could be that there will be more of these occasions. Because Gary O’Neil had to have liked what he saw against the Cottagers.
The £10 million former Angers man has so much to offer higher up the pitch.
While his defending has improved a lot recently, it has always been the case with him that his offensive qualities have been superior.
His speed and footwork make him a potentially brilliant full-time winger and we will see now if he gets the opportunity while key players are out.