Wolves defender Nelson Semedo has thanked Bruno Lage for stopping him from being ‘comfortable’.
The 28-year-old has now been at Molineux for two years following his move from Barcelona.
It was an up and down first term for Semedo, with the Premier League a challenge for him in the beginning.
He made improvements towards the end of his first season, before responding really well to the arrival of Lage last summer.
£29 million man Semedo was one of Wolves’ best performers last season, making 29 appearances across all competitions.
Lage revealed earlier this year that he had questioned Semedo in training back in September, admitting he was ‘so hard’ on the player.
The tough love clearly had a positive effect on the player, and Semedo has now extended his thanks to the manager.
He said (via Shopshire Star): “I was feeling that he was pushing really hard for me and I needed that.
“I have to thank him for this because I needed someone to really push me because I guess I was comfortable.
“I was comfortable playing for Barcelona and having a good career until here, but he saw that I can go further and he pushed a lot for me. It was good. In the beginning of the season I was better but he wanted me to be even better because I knew I could be.”
Nelson Semedo improvements show Lage deserves backing at Wolves, as defender thanks his manager
Semedo was perhaps one of the Wolves players who responded the best to Lage’s arrival.
The 28-year-old made big strides, tidying up the defensive side of his game and providing attacking threat.
Lage clearly worked hard with him, and really the manager deserves to be backed with several new players.
He’s had a positive impact on Semedo – who has in recent days become linked with a move to Atletico Madrid – and a number of others at Molineux.
Potentially he could build a really good team if given the opportunity, but so far it’s felt he has been working with one hand tied behind his back.