It’s been a challenging season for Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan, who has been criticised for recent performances.
The Korean had an outing to forget against Bristol City in the FA Cup, which was a great shame following his goal against Tottenham weeks prior.
Hwang was blasted by Wolves fans following his performance in the cup, with many calling for the 28-year-old to be dropped by Vitor Pereira.
Given that Hwang almost left Wolves in the summer, there’s a lot of expectation in the forward, who has been on a decline since the early stages of 2023/24.
Vitor Pereira wants to fill Hwang Hee-chan with confidence
Hwang has gone from hero to zero at Wolves over the past year, experiencing Premier League highs last season before injury concerns.
The South Korea international was injured at the Asia Cup in early 2024, which halted the progress he had made earlier that campaign.
Some fans at Molineux believe that the forward’s ship at Wolves has sailed however, manager Pereira has an opposing view.
The Portuguese opened up about a conversation between himself and Hwang following Wolves’ win over Bristol City, via Express and Star.
“He [Hwang] missed the goal and I looked at his face and the body language, and I said to him that the best strikers that I worked with in my career, when they missed the goal it was nothing for them.”
Pereira went on to express his desire to instil some confidence into Hwang’s game to get him back to his best in the final third.
“This is a confident player, a confident man. This is what I want to pass to him, the confidence,” Pereira said.
“Not what I read or listen to, because it’s normal, football is football. This is a job, as a player and coach, that gets criticised, but the confidence comes from inside. When someone tells me something is impossible, this is my challenge, I will do it for sure.”
The Wolves manager has a clear plan for the 28-year-old, urging people around the club to support the player, who has plenty of time to turn things around.
Hwang can offer a lot to Wolves
It was only last season that Hwang was backed to break a John Richards record, having scored in five consecutive games at Molineux.
The same player has struggled to find the net consistently over the past 12 months, telling of how quickly things can change in football.
| Hwang Hee-chan first half of 2023/24 |
| 20 appearances |
| 10 goals |
| 3 assists |
While it’s been negative for Hwang, Pereira firmly believes that a positive change could be on the horizon for the forward, which could, in turn, transform Wolves.
At the start of 2023/24, the Korean contributed to seven goals in the opening ten Premier League games, being a pioneer of Wolves’ success alongside Pedro Neto.
If such level can be rediscovered, Wolves could have a clinical forward reinstalled to their attack, which would be welcomed with open arms amid the ongoing relegation battle.