Vitor Pereira was full of praise for a rarely seen Wolves player after Saturday’s defeat to Newcastle United.
Wolves fell to another defeat in the Premier League, their fourth in four matches so far.
It is the worst ever start to a new season for Wanderers, and fans are starting to worry.
Pereira was defiant after Wolves’ defeat to Newcastle insisting that he would increase the level of the team in time.
The Wolves manager pointed to what he did last season, and feels he can get the squad back on the straight and narrow, and his post-match press conference did feel somewhat bullish.
Pereira also praised a few players after the defeat to Newcastle, one being Tolu Arokodare, who started the game in place of the injured Jorgen Strand Larsen
And Pereira also had some positive words for Sam Johnstone.
Vitor Pereira pleased with Sam Johnstone despite Newcastle defeat
Pereira’s teamsheet was fairly surprising when it dropped ahead of the game with Newcastle.
He made five changes to the side that started against Everton, and Johnstone made his first Premier League start of the season.
Pereira confirmed that Sa missed the contest through illness.
So Johnstone had the chance to impress.
He didn’t get the clean sheet he was hoping for – but Johnstone did make one fine save in the first half and looked relatively solid overall, leading to praise from Pereira.
He said: “I’m very happy with Sam.
“He played a consistent game, a great save and I’m happy with him.”
Johnstone will be buoyed by Pereira praise
Wolves offloaded a lot of players in the summer, and most expected Johnstone to be one of them.
Burnley showed interest in Johnstone in the summer. But he ended up staying, and is now looking to displace Sa, which will be tricky.
Sa has been Pereira’s go-to man since he came to the club, but the manager has talked up the need for good competition, so it’s not out of the question Johnstone could get back in.
| Sam Johnstone for Wolves |
| Appearances – 12 |
| Clean sheets – 1 |
| Goals conceded – 21 |
He’ll appreciate the public praise from his manager, and he’ll now look to build on that.
Perhaps Sa will come back in against Leeds United this weekend if he is fit to return. But one would imagine £10 million signing (BBC Sport) Johnstone will feature against Everton in the Carabao Cup.
If Sa struggles and Johnstone shines, perhaps the Englishman could come back in on a more regular basis.