Wolves defender Ki-Jana Hoever makes Championship Team of the Week

Wolves defender Ki-Jana Hoever has made this week’s Championship Team of the Week.

The Dutchman enjoyed his best game of the season on Friday night, as he scored two goals for Stoke City in their 3-2 win over Blackburn.

Hoever had only ever scored one goal in his professional goal before the game.

He twice popped up at the back post to score for the Potters with two really good finishes.

It has been a positive start for Hoever, who Wolves signed for £13.5 million from Liverpool in 2020.

He made his eighth appearance for the club on Friday night, and appears to have settled quite well with the Potters.

This is great news, with Hoever having struggled for minutes with PSV Eindhoven earlier in the season.

Hoever has made an impression on manager Alex Neil, who said of him after the game with Blackburn: “He’s come here as a really young lad and he’s played almost every game he’s been available. That tells you what we think of him.

“I pick the team on merit. You have to show you deserve to play. If you don’t deserve to play you won’t play. He isn’t in the team on a sympathy vote or anything other than when I watch him train, I’m really excited about what he’s got.”

Hoever’s performance against Blackburn was that good he’s been named in the latest Championship Team of the Week.

Wolves officials will be pleased with Ki-Jana Hoever’s start at Stoke, as defender makes Team of the Week

Molineux officials will be delighted to see Hoever getting regular minutes for Stoke.

Between the comments from Neil and this inclusion in the latest Team of the Week, it seems Hoever is starting to turn a corner.

It’s been a tricky past couple of years for the £40,000-a-week star since joining Wolves.

He hasn’t had the game time he would have liked, and then the stint with PSV didn’t work out.

But it looks like something has clicked now and he just needs to maintain it through until the end of the season.