Vitor Pereira has quite a predicament to overcome following Matheus Cunha’s suspension.
Wolves are set to be without their star player for the remainder of the month as Cunha picked up a three-match ban in the FA Cup defeat to Bournemouth.
Just before the game went to penalties, the Brazilian lashed out at Milos Kerkez to receive a straight red card, putting his team’s chances of survival in jeopardy.
Cunha was blasted for his actions and now must face the consequences, which could be catastrophic for Wolves, who rely on the forward’s excellence.
- READ MORE: The alarming Wolves statistic that makes Matheus Cunha’s red card vs Bournemouth even worse
Pablo Sarabia must step up to replace Matheus Cunha
The issue is that there is no figure in the Wolves squad quite like Cunha, as the Old Gold’s number ten continues to make the headlines.
Pereira has several options to replace Cunha but, will expect a slight decline going forward due to just how influential the Brazil international is.
The 25-year-old has scored five goals in his previous six matches for Wolves, telling of what the squad are about to be without in his absence.
While Cunha stands out as Wolves’ best player, Pereira isn’t short of talent elsewhere, with one player capable of making a difference being Pablo Sarabia.
Wolves fans haven’t been impressed with Sarabia’s form this term, and rightly so, as despite his creative excellence, the Spaniard fails to offer the physicality needed to compete consistently.
| Statistic | Average | Rank at Wolves |
| Key passes | 1.7 | 2nd – Behind Pedro Neto |
| Assists | 7 | 2nd – Behind Pedro Neto |
Sarabia needs to prove himself to Pereira and, there’s evidence to suggest that the former PSG ace is capable of the task, given how brilliant he was in spells last season.
In the 2023/24 Premier League, only Pedro Neto averaged more key passes per game than Sarabia and, only Neto recorded more assists than the 32-year-old, telling of his quality.
The challenge for Pereira now is to squeeze the best out of the attacker, something that the Wolves manager can take notes from Gary O’Neil on.
Gary O’Neil was a big fan of Sarabia
In the latter stages of 2023 to the early months of 2024, O’Neil handed Sarabia the chance to shine, something the Spaniard took on with open arms.
The former Wolves boss was an admirer of the 32-year-old’s ability, understanding the best that the midfielder can offer on his day.
In February 2024, O’Neil showered Sarabia with praise amid the attacker’s run of form in front of goal, describing his player as having unique ‘quality’.
“You don’t see quite so many players of the Pablo Sarabia type anymore — players who survive and thrive purely through their intelligence and technical ability.
“It can be difficult in such a physical league to impact football matches but his intelligence, his work rate and his quality with his left foot are such that he finds ways to affect things, and he opens up things for other people to show their strengths.”
O’Neil has informed Pereira of how Sarabia can help Wolves at a time of need ahead of Cunha’s suspension, with everything now riding on whether the creator can rediscover his form.