Plenty of Wolves players have improved under Gary O’Neil, but one figure reserves special praise for Julen Lopetegui.
The Old Gold were forced to replace Lopetegui just days before the 2023/24 campaign kicked off, hiring O’Neil to take the reins from the Spaniard.
Lopetegui did what he needed to at Wolves, keeping the squad in the Premier League as the Midlands side sat bottom of the table on Christmas Day in 2022.
It was an impressive turn of fortune at Molineux thanks to Lopetegui however, the former Real Madrid boss left on a bad note after walking away from his project.
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Hugo Bueno praises Julen Lopetegui’s impact on his Wolves career
Leaving Wolves just days before the season started wasn’t ideal, giving O’Neil no time to get to know his squad ahead of his first term.
Fortunately, O’Neil proved to be the right hire, leading his team to secure a five point improvement on Lopetegui’s 2022/23 finish.
Several players have benefitted from the Englishman’s arrival while some are still reminiscing on time spent with Lopetegui.
Currently on loan at Feyenoord, Wolves defender Hugo Bueno admitted that the Spanish coach got him to his ‘best’.
“I have been at my best under Lopetegui at Wolves, for me, he is a great coach,” Bueno explained in a recent interview with Spanish outlet AS.
“He is very demanding and he made me take a step forward. And that allowed me to play very good games in a competition as demanding as the Premier League.”
Unfortunately Bueno has had an opposing experience with O’Neil, as the manager favours Rayan Ait-Nouri at left-back, resulting in the Spaniard embarking on a hunt for game time on loan.
Despite being full of praise for Lopetegui’s impact, Bueno admitted that he’s not in touch with the former Wolves boss.
“I’m at Feyenoord now and he’s at West Ham. They haven’t started the season well, but I’m sure the team will get better and better.
“As soon as they start winning, they’ll go up and they’ll end the season in a good position in the Premier League.”
Bueno and Rayan Ait-Nouri switched roles after Wolves manager change
It was a fast turn of events for Wolves’ left-backs when Lopetegui was replaced by O’Neil, as the Englishman was quick to see the quality of Ait-Nouri.
Given how impactful the Algerian has been at Molineux since the boss’ arrival, it’s incredible to think that the 23-year-old almost left the club after not being favoured by Lopetegui.
Bueno was handed the chance to impress under Lopetegui at Wolves, whereas O’Neil opted to revive Ait-Nouri’s career, which has proven to be a pivotal decision since his arrival.
The Spaniard certainly got the short end of the stick when it came to Wolves’ managerial change, seeing him venture on loan to Feyenoord to get minutes in the tank.