Wolves beat Bristol City 3-0 in their second pre-season friendly of the summer on Saturday, with one player shining in front of Gary O’Neil.
After seeing off Como in a pre-season friendly in Marbella, Wolves returned from their training camp to face Bristol City at Compton Park.
The fixture was a test for both sides, as the game was played in a training-style format, splitting 120 minutes of action into four 30-minute quarters.
Wolves overcame the Championship side by three goals with no reply, as Matheus Cunha, Hwang Hee-chan and an own goal from the opposition settled the victory.
While the goal scorers impressed with two impeccable finishes, it was another player who may have particularly caught Gary O’Neil’s eye.
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Pablo Sarabia impressed for Wolves in pre-season friendly against Bristol City
Though Hwang deserved the applause for his immaculate movement and control to score against the Robins, the goal would not have happened had it not been for Pablo Sarabia.
The Spaniard showcased some expert footwork to find an inch of space in midfield before lifting a perfect ball over the defence to find Hwang.
Sarabia’s high-quality performance saw him end the game with an assist, something his teammates became accustomed to last term as he recorded seven assists in the Premier League.
The 32-year-old ended the 2023/24 campaign with the second-highest average of key passes per game for Wolves, falling short of just Pedro Neto in the statistic, via WhoScored.
After a questionable end to the season, it seems as though the Spain international has found his feet once more, giving O’Neil something to really think about ahead of next term.
Gary O’Neil has seen why he must keep Sarabia at Wolves
Going into the summer, there has been some speculation over whether Sarabia will remain at Wolves beyond deadline day.
The 32-year-old is entering the final year of his contract at Molineux, which could result in the Old Gold losing him as a free agent next summer if he is not sold or tied down.
Earning £90k-a-week, Sarabia is Wolves’ highest earning player, telling of the millions the side could be relieved of if he was to depart.
While Sarabia has generated interest from Saudi Arabia, the ‘quality’ playmaker, as he was lauded by O’Neil, has shown just what he can offer to Wolves next season.
The passage of play that the former PSG ace showcased against Bristol City was something that very few members of O’Neil’s squad could pull off, telling of the ability he can provide in the season ahead.
Last term, the manager found himself in a position where Wolves had quality for the starting XI, but depth saw him unable to manoeuvre around successive injury woes.
Offloading Sarabia would dent Wolves’ squad depth however, keeping him around would give O’Neil an added outlet for quality when required throughout the gruelling domestic calendar.
It will be interesting to see if Sarabia is a Wolves player at the end of the summer, with O’Neill surely being left impressed by what he saw against Bristol City.