Dave Edwards believes Wolves now have a better version of Adama Traore in Pedro Neto, as he rued the winger’s latest injury setback.
The former Molineux midfielder made the suggestion in his latest Express & Star column. Neto is set for a spell on the sidelines after pulling up during the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday at Molineux.
The Portuguese left the action on a stretcher, prompting big concern. Neto had been in full flow and looked like he was about to shoot, before hobbling away and falling to the ground.
Wolves fans were buoyed though on Sunday when Neto suggested he would only be out for a couple of weeks. It has since been suggested it may be optimistic for him to return in only a couple of weeks.
Wolves losing Neto for any amount of time is a blow. This season, he has been outstanding and has been loving his football again, after a tough past couple of years with injuries.
His pace and dribbling have been a joy to watch, and Edwards has now made a rather interesting remark about Neto…
Dave Edwards suggested Pedro Neto is like a better version of Adama Traore for Wolves
Neto is an exhilarating player to watch. He is someone who is direct, and is always looking to beat a defender and either put the ball into the box or have a shot.
What is brilliant about Neto, especially this season, is that his final ball is usually on the money.
Interestingly, Edwards has compared Neto to Adama Traore in his latest Express & Star column. The Spaniard, who left the club as a free agent in the summer, is also all about pace and dribbling.
Edwards said: “He (Neto) has been Wolves’ star player since the start of the season and it was worrying the way that he pulled up in front of the fans.
“You saw momentum shift in the game completely when he went off, Newcastle could put more bodies forward because they were not bothered about the pace on the counter-attack.
“He is like a better version of Adama Traore as he has a bit more end product and composure – moving forward he will be a huge miss.”
Neto has the end product Traore lacked
This is probably a fair comment from Edwards.
Neto and Traore are similar in the sense that they are direct, quick and like to dribble. But the key difference is that Traore very often struggled to produce in the final third.
Neto has been showing that he can deliver when he gets into those dangerous areas. His haul of seven assists this season is extremely impressive. For perspective, Traore managed just 20 across five seasons at Molineux.
Traore is a totally unique player. Arguably no other player can advance the ball up the pitch like he does, but Wolves never really had the end product from him that they needed.