Rob Edwards wasn’t afraid to lean on youth at Middlesbrough and he looks like doing the same at Wolves.
Wolves made seven signings during the summer transfer window, which included a permanent move for Jorgen Strand Larsen.
However, the exits of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri are still being felt. A league low of seven goals scored and a league high of 25 conceded in the Premier League show problems at both ends of the field.
This led to James Collins giving the likes of Tawanda Chirewa, Enso Gonzalez and Mateus Mane a chance in the first-team Wolves squad to face Chelsea.
However, Mane was the only one of the three to take the field, but it’s refreshing to see young players being given an opportunity rather than just persisting with a failed formula.
Wolves fans, how do you see Rob Edwards getting on in his first game against Crystal Palace?
Rob Edwards looks set to call upon three youngsters for Crystal Palace
The Wolves under-21s played their Premier League cup opener against Nottingham’s B team and it ended in a 1-0 loss.
However, the most important thing about the match was the fact that Mateus Mane, Enso Gonzalez and Tawanda Chirewa were all missing from the squad, suggesting there will be some involvement in the first-team against Crystal Palace.
All three players tend to operate in different roles. Enso Gonzalez and Chirewa tend to operate from an advanced midfield role, meanwhile Mane comes off the left wing.
The trio have a combined eight goals and six assists between them in all competitions this season.
A clean slate for the Wolves players under Rob Edwards
The likes of David Moller-Wolfe, Fer Lopez and Tolu Arokodare all had to settle for limited minutes under Vitor Pereira.
Lopez in particular, has been heavily backed by the fans but just hasn’t been provided with the opportunities he deserves, racking up 235 minutes all season.
Rob Edwards got the better of Crystal Palace in his last time managing in the Premier League
Rob Edwards can bag himself an instant win with the fans by turning to either Mane or Lopez against Crystal Palace, but for now we have to trust he’ll make the right decision.
After all, there are many factors to take into consideration for his first team selection, such as the fitness levels of players returning from international duty.
As well as this, only Edwards will have seen the performances of players in training, with Joao Gomes even getting his own shoutout from the new boss.