Many Wolves players are trying to impress new head coach Julen Lopetegui early – and it is a particularly important period for rarely seen defender Yerson Mosquera.
The youngster is the only member of the first-team squad who is yet to play any minutes in 2022/23, barring Chiquinho who is set to miss the whole campaign with injury.
Mosquera arrived at Wolves last year, becoming the very first signing of the Bruno Lage era.
He joined the club from Atletico Nacional for a reported fee of £4.5 million. And the feeling at the time was that Wanderers had landed themselves a potential gem.
Mosquera had impressed Wolves officials with his aggressive defending and cultured ball-playing style.
He looked really good in the 2021 pre-season. But he picked up a minor hamstring injury just before the start of the season.
Then, on his first competitive start for the club, Mosquera suffered another hamstring injury against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup. And this one was much more serious.
He underwent surgery, and was on the sidelines from September to February.
He has not made a first-team appearance for Wolve since that game with Spurs.
Mosquera almost made his Premier League debut against Brentford recently. He was stripped and ready to go on, before Steve Davis changed his mind.
So it’s been a very frustrating stint at Wolves so far for Mosquera.
But Lopetegui is in now, and everyone has a clean slate. The first-team squad is going to Marbella soon and they will play three games (via Birmingham Mail), meaning a chance for Mosquera to show Lopetegui what he’s got.
His target should be to make sure he gets to start against Gillingham in the Carabao Cup after the World Cup.
Yerson Mosquera needs to show Julen Lopetegui he’s worthy of minutes at Wolves
Mosquera must be itching to get some game time for Wolves.
He’s been fit for a while now, but the opportunities just haven’t come his way.
He might have featured in the Carabao Cup games against Preston North End and Leeds United. But neither Bruno Lage nor Steve Davis fancied him.
And for Premier League games, Maximilian Kilman and Nathan Collins have been the go-to pairing. Toti Gomes came in to replace Collins when he was suspended earlier this season.
Mosquera seems like a popular member of the squad and it would be great if Lopetegui could finally get minutes into his legs. Whether that be at centre-back or even right-back, with Nelson Semedo and Jonny Castro Otto both struggling right now.
But he’s got to give the new manager a reason to pick him.
If he wants to remain a part of the squad beyond January, now is the time for him to step up.