Rodrigo Gomes has quietly had a good season for Wolves, and the versatile star has now shared his favourite position to play.
During his time at Wolves, Rodrigo Gomes has appeared on both flanks as both a winger and deeper as a wing-back.
Since he came to the club a couple of years ago, it has been rare to see Rodrigo crop up in the same position in a run of games. That speaks to his versatility.
But arguably, this versatility has actually seen Gomes struggle to ever fully settle into one role.
The player has been speaking about his favoured role in a new video on the official Wolves YouTube channel.
Rodrigo Gomes makes his preferred role clear
Gomes has filmed a new video, which saw him try and replicate goals scored by former Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho.
But the Wolves ace was also interviewed by Shaun Wright-Phillips, who quizzed him on being a versatile player.
The former Premier League winger asked him where he prefers to play the most, given how many positions he’s appeared in.
And there was no ambiguity in Rodrigo’s answer. He sees himself as a winger, not a wing-back or a utility option across multiple roles.
He said: “It’s a tough question, like you said there, I’m versatile so I’ve played in a few positions, even in Portugal.
“I think my favourite, favourite position is as a winger. But I like a lot the wing-back, because I think I have the pace and I can run a lot. If I play 90 minutes or five minutes, I’ll always give everything.
“I kind of like the defence. I like doing a tackle, a slide tackle.”
Wolves have relied on Rodrigo’s versatility, but his strongest qualities are arguably in advanced wide areas where he can attack defenders directly.
Of course, Rodrigo actually playing his favourite position has been tricky in recent times, with Rob Edwards mainly using a wing-backs system with two up top.
Wolves must retain Gomes after productive season
Even with that positional inconsistency, Gomes has delivered a respectable five Premier League goals this season, which has seemingly attracted attention from other clubs. That level of output places him among the more effective attacking options in the squad.
The interest is not so ideal for Wolves, who are looking at Championship football next season, and Rodrigo could really thrive in the second tier.
Ultimately he is a direct winger with proven top-flight output, and would stand out immediately in that division.
Wolves have a player who has stated his best position and backed it up with goals across a difficult season. The next step is to use him in his favoured role and keep him as part of the squad moving forward.
It will certainly be interesting to see if Rob Edwards will switch the formation and ditch the use of wing-backs. Rodrigo will surely be pleased if that is to be the case.
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