Gary O’Neil could be left red-faced by his recent comments on one Wolves player.
Wolves lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace on the second outing of their US pre-season tour in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Gary O’Neil will not be too concerned about his side’s performance, as the Old Gold created plenty of chances during the contest.
The manager has a lot of positives to take from Wolves’ pre-season so far however, O’Neil may be left feeling a little red-faced by one comment he recently made.
- READ MORE: Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner left impressed by two things Wolves did during pre-season clash
Pedro Lima could prove Gary O’Neil’s early assessment wrong at Wolves
During his time in the United States with the squad, O’Neil took the time to sit down with Express and Star journalists Liam Keen and Nathan Judah.
Speaking on the E&S Wolves podcast about his new signings, O’Neil urged fans to be patient with Pedro Lima, who signed for the club this summer from Sport Recife.
The 18-year-old has featured heavily in pre-season and continued to shine against Crystal Palace on Thursday morning.
Speaking about the early signs of the Brazilian, O’Neil said that patience is needed due to his age and experience.
“Maybe some patience is needed with Pedro. I know he did some great bits on Saturday, but he is still very young, and he plays quite young.”
It was a fair and expected evaluation of the player from O’Neil however, Lima could be in line to prove the boss wrong.
Lima shone for Wolves against Crystal Palace
Just as he did against West Ham, Lima lined up on the right side of defence behind Rodrigo Gomes on Thursday.
The Brazilian excited fans as he secured an assist against the Hammers, with him coming close to opening his own Wolves account versus Palace.
Lima put the ball in the net twice against Oliver Glasner’s side, showcasing his enthusiasm and innate reading of the game as he got into two bright positions.
Unfortunately, both goals were ruled out but, the signs were still there that the 18-year-old has huge potential.
While O’Neil has some reservations about whether the teen is ready for the Premier League, he is certainly putting himself in the right position to be considered for minutes in the season ahead.
It would be fascinating to see the right-back feature in some capacity against Arsenal on the opening day, with Nelson Semedo out of contention due to suspension.
Aside from his performances in the States, the early opinion of the Brazilian at Wolves is positive, as Lima was labelled as “dynamic” by Liam Keen.
For now, fans will continue to enjoy the excitement that Lima brings to the pitch, with plenty of time to further assert himself in pre-season.