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The Real Madrid winger is yet to find his best for his country – that will need to change in Copa America quarterfinals

Vinicius Jr's yellow card was a silly thing. It was the seventh minute of Brazil's Copa America group stage fixture with Colombia, and the electric winger was one booking away from being suspended for the knockouts. That was when Vinicius made a mistake. He raised his arm towards the face of James Rodriguez, challenging for a loose ball. Contact was minimal, but the experienced Colombian midfielder sold it expertly, flinging himself to the ground. The referee was always going to reach into his pocket – and rule Vinicius out for a must-win elimination fixture.

That, in turn, leaves the Selecao without their most apparent attacking threat against a dangerous Uruguay side in Saturday night's Copa America quarterfinal in Las Vegas. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. While Vinicius hadn't exactly set the world alight during the group phase, he remains a dynamic attacker – one of the world's best.

The players around him, though, have fallen flat.

And Rodrygo is perhaps the biggest culprit. Vinicius' Real Madrid teammate has been near-anonymous across Brazil's three group games, failing to register a goal or assist in the tournament. Such has been the case for much of his Brazil career, an immense talent who has yet to make it happen for his country. That has to change – and soon. With Vinicius sidelined, Rodrygo simply has to step up.

(C)Getty ImagesA mixed international career

Watch Rodrygo, and you will see an interesting player. The diminutive Brazilian is a rare breed of Selecao star. He has the close control of many of his Samba predecessors but is more natural creator than lethal finisher. He made it clear in an interview last year that he doesn't really regard himself as a goalscorer – instead a provider for more direct strikers in an attack.

The issue is, thus far in his Brazil career, he hasn't really been able to do either. In 26 Brazil caps, Rodrygo has six goals and one assist to his name. Only three of his goals have come in competitive matches – both thrashings of inferior opponents.

Admittedly, it has been difficult for the winger to find a foot hold in the side. Only 15 of his 26 caps have been starts, while positional continuity has also been elusive. Rodrygo plays as a right-winger for Real Madrid, but can also function as a central striker if needed. In Brazil colors, his exact spot has fluctuated.

Sometimes, he has been used as a right-winger. Others, he plays through the middle. And no matter where he starts any given contest, there has always the prevailing sense that he will have to play off either Neymar or Vinicius – relegating this immense talent to a rather peripheral role, with no consistent spot to operate in.

AdvertisementGettyPre-tournament promise

Things started to look up in March. With Neymar out of the national team picture after rupturing his ACL at the end of 2023, Rodrygo was handed a more consistent role in the side – asked to play through the middle in a three-forward setup. Rodrygo was immensely effective in the Selecao's frantic 3-3 friendly draw with Spain in the spring, scoring once and proving crucial in setting up another to mark a sparkling performance.

He was at it again in June, playing a crucial role against the United States in a dramatic 1-1 friendly. He opened the scoring with a clinical finish and came close on a number of other occasions – only to be denied by a fine goalkeeping performance from Matt Turner. There was reason for hope.

Getty ImagesFinding a role at Madrid

Those showings in a Brazil shirt, more broadly, served as a welcome extension of Rodrygo's improvement for his club. The winger struggled to find a role under Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid. For a while, he was a bit part player, an effective substitute – but little more. Last season, though, he became a crucial part of Los Blancos' attack.

Ancelotti, ever the tactical guru, came up with a unique system to account for an unbalanced squad. But realizing Rodrygo's potential to create off the dribble and finish in tight areas, the manager deployed him as a striker alongside Vinicius – with Jude Bellingham tucked behind the duo.

It required a slight change in role. Rodrygo had less room in which to operate, and couldn't scamper into acres of turf on the wing like he did during his early days in Madrid. But it did also put him closer to the goal – with the ball at his feet – more than ever. The result was his finest goalscoring return in a Madrid shirt to date, with the Brazilian scoring 18 in all competitions as Los Blancos secured a domestic-European double.

He may not be an elite finisher – or consider himself one – but Rodrygo can certainly find the back of the net.

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Getty ImagesThe Vinicius issue

For some time, Rodrygo's inconsistency in front of goal mattered little. With Neymar to shoulder the load, and Vinicius to back him up and plug the holes between, anything material Rodrygo could provide was merely a bonus.

Now, though, things have changed. Vinicius' yellow leaves Brazil with a gaping hole to fill in their attack. The Selecao have struggled to find the back of the net in Copa America. They were blanked by Costa Rica in the first game, and although they came alive against a dire Paraguay side, their drab 1-1 draw with Colombia – in which they managed just three shots on target – is more indicative of their limited attack. And it might just get more difficult. Vinicius is out, Raphinha is yet to convince and Endrick is admittedly still raw.

Rodrygo, then, needs to find his groove.

Manchester United have been warned that they will have to fork out a hefty fee to replace Erik ten Hag with their first choice this summer.

Ten Hag under serious pressure

It is no secret that Ten Hag is under pressure as Manchester United boss. Sunday's heavy derby day loss only heightened the scrutiny on the Dutchman, and the performance of his record signing from the bench only served to add further scrutiny to his suitability to the club off the pitch too.

Currently sixth in the Premier League, the Red Devils sit 11 points outside the top four and look destined to miss out on Champions League football for next season, something that is perhaps for the best given their disastrous showing in this season's competition.

Team

Played

Wins

Draws

Losses

Goal difference

Points

Aston Villa

27

17

4

6

22

55

Tottenham Hotspur

26

15

5

6

16

50

Manchester United

27

14

2

11

-2

44

With the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe earlier in the campaign, it has been all change at Old Trafford behind the scenes. Omar Berrada has arrived from Manchester City as the new CEO, while Dan Ashworth is expected to join from Newcastle and the club are also set to approach Crystal Palace's Dougie Freedman in the coming days.

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That change is yet to make it to the technical area, though the Daily Mail have reported that Ten Hag has received no assurances about his future and that 'many in the United squad believe it is likely new co-owners Ineos will make a change at the end of the season'.

With an FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool looming as well as a tough end to the season, there is a real concern that Manchester United could end the season trophyless and relegated to a second or even third tier European competition for next season, something that the new owners would not take kindly to.

As a result, there is plenty of talk around who may replace Ten Hag at Old Trafford.

United learn huge price for number one target

Football FanCast previously reported that United had already identified Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi as the frontrunner to replace Ten Hag at the end of the season, but the Red Devils will face a fight to land their man amid interest from around Europe and from Chelsea.

Now, they will also face a financial issue, with Brighton understood to be demanding a £12m fee from any club to release the Italian from his contract, which runs until 2026.

De Zerbi has no shortage of admirers both in and out of the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola having spoken admirably about him previously and Luton Town boss Rob Edwards explaining earlier in the season that "I think he's excellent and what he and his team have done is top”.

It is by no means the most expensive compensation (that record still belongs to Antonio Conte), but it would certainly represent a major dent in any summer business Manchester United plan to execute. However, the trade-off to land De Zerbi could prove well worth it.

Former coach says he recommended Akram and Misbah for cricket committee, which made the decision to end his stint possibly based on “factually incorrect information”

Osman Samiuddin25-Sep-2019Mickey Arthur was disappointed that people he trusted – and, as it turns out, helped appoint – ultimately made the decision to not extend his stint as Pakistan coach. Arthur was keen to carry on in a position he had been in for three years and, post-World Cup, had conversations with the PCB hierarchy in which he had expressed his keenness to do so.But the PCB’s cricket committee, including Misbah-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram, carried out a review of Arthur’s tenure before deciding to move on. And the fact that it was Misbah who ended up succeeding Arthur as coach was not lost on the latter.”I guess the only disappointment I have out of the whole lot is that there were some people I really trusted who ultimately didn’t follow through,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo’s Stump Mic podcast. “I’m not talking about the hierarchy, I’m talking about people on the cricket committee that I did trust who sort of said one thing and ultimately did another. So that was the disappointing aspect of it.”There was also a degree of irony in events unfolding as they did, because Arthur said he had recommended Misbah and Akram’s names when the committee was first being put together by the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani. That committee also includes the PCB chief executive Wasim Khan, senior officials and former players Haroon Rasheed, Zakir Khan, Mudassar Nazar, and former women’s captain Urooj Mumtaz.”I said Misbah would be outstanding because he was a godfather of Pakistan cricket and he is – Misbah is an outstanding individual make no mistake about that. And I sort of said, I thought Wasim Akram would be good to get on the committee because I think Wasim just understands the international game so well. He carries a huge stature in international cricket.”Those were guys I endorsed and guys I really enjoyed. As I say, they had a job to do and they decided it was in the best interests of Pakistan cricket to go with a fresh set of eyes. And it just happened to be that Misbah was on the committee that didn’t renew our contracts and becomes this heir-apparent. Ultimately Misbah will do a good job, Misbah is a good guy and Pakistan cricket made their decision. I was disappointed because I loved every second of that job.”

“I said Misbah would be outstanding [on the cricket committee] because he was a godfather of Pakistan cricket and he is”Mickey Arthur

Arthur’s fate was sealed during a five-hour grilling by the committee in early August, a month after Pakistan narrowly failed to make the semi-finals of the World Cup. There was plenty of speculation about the mood, tenor and substance of that review and Arthur’s response to whether he felt he’d been given a fair hearing doesn’t kill that speculation.”I was certainly given a chance, I was certainly given a grilling, I was certainly asked a lot of questions,” he said. “The thing that disappointed me just a little bit out of that was that a lot of the questions I was being asked were questions that could be debated either way. So it was a matter of opinion.”A lot of it was spoken about it in hindsight – some of the selections etc etc, which was all in hindsight. And it’s always easy to speak in hindsight. And a lot of the information that they told me was actually factually incorrect. And [that was] I guess the information they ended up making their decision on. But, again, I just want to say it was a great time. Yes, I was disappointed but at the end of the day, I had three fantastic years with Pakistan.”Indeed, regret and not bitterness has been very much the overriding emotion, as Arthur is keen to stress. He will coach Central Stags in New Zealand’s Super Smash T20 later this year and even though his future as Karachi Kings coach remains unclear – as he touches upon in the podcast – he wants to get back to international coaching.”Yeah, I’ll make no bones about it, I would’ve liked to have gone on, because we had just built a team,” he said. “It had taken us three years to get to where we needed to be. Our T20 team was going along beautifully, No. 1 in the world, our ODI team, we had played a lot of young players who were just coming to the fore and I think we saw at the backend of the World Cup how exciting we could be as a team. And the challenge was going to be to build a new Test team, so there were a lot of interesting challenges out there with Pakistan. I was so looking forward to maybe carrying on for just a little bit extra.”

Wade keeps Tasmania chugging along with well-crafted 44 not out amid wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2019Victoria’s first day without Andrew McDonald didn’t go according to the outgoing coach’s plan, as they were rolled for a mere 127 after being sent in by Tasmania’s captain Matthew Wade on a green-tinged Hobart pitch.Riley Meredith’s considerable speed was crucial in removing the captain Peter Handscomb and the Test aspirant Will Pucovski early on, allowing Jackson Bird, Gabe Bell and Alex Pyecroft to take full advantage.While Meredith went for 53 from seven overs, his early incisions will interest the national selectors, not least for how Pucpvski was successfully targeted with the short ball and compelled to deflect to short leg a delivery that he failed to get over the top of.Bird, Bell and Pyecroft prospered through more conventional means for swing and seam bowlers at Bellerive Oval, though Matt Short looked unhappy to be given out to a low catch behind by Jake Doran off Bird, seeming to suggest the ball had bounced before reaching the ‘keeper’s gloves.Nic Maddinson was again a stand out for Victoria, scuttling along to 68 from just 69 balls as wickets fell around him. Wade, who is all set to retain the batting place he won in the Test side on the Ashes tour, was the backbone of the Tasmanian reply, fighting his way to an unbeaten 44 with help from the recalled George Bailey.Victoria’s pacemen all delivered typically exacting spells alongside Jon Holland’s spin bowling, but a pivotal rush of wickets before the close was elusive, allowing Wade and Doran to reset on the second morning.

Lionel Messi has sent a defiant “lost my fear” message ahead of the Copa America final, with the Argentina superstar discussing his injury issues.

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Fitness problems held all-time great backAmong the goals in semi-final victoryReady to chase down more major silverwareWHAT HAPPENED?

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is looking to savour continental success with his country for a second time. Fitness problems have hindered his cause, with a muscle complaint forcing him to sit out a group stage clash with Peru. He netted his first goal of the competition in a semi-final win over Canada and claims to be back in shape for a meeting with Colombia that will see major silverware come up for grabs.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MESSI SAID

Messi has told of contending with physical issues: “With Canada I felt very good physically. With Chile I had an adductor problem and I no longer played comfortably. I was already slowed down, it bothered me when I had to stand up or move laterally. And with Ecuador I arrived just in time too. I was fine from the injury, but I had that in my head that I had something wrong. In the last match [against Canada] I lost my fear, I felt better and for the final I will feel better.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi is the most-decorated player in history, with 44 honours to his name, and is determined to deliver more inspiration for the next generation when it comes to the art of trophy collecting. He added: “This is a very young generation, and they were champions of America, of the World… They are 23, 24 and 25 years old. They have a whole career with the national team ahead of them. I hope they don't lose the desire to continue winning, competing and transmitting the same message to those who come after them. For me, the fundamental thing is to have a good group. From there, achievements can come.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Argentina claimed the Copa crown in 2021, before going on to beat European champions Italy in the Finalissima. Messi then inspired a memorable World Cup win at Qatar 2022, with questions being asked of how many international appearances the 37-year-old forward has left in him.

Arsenal are absolutely flying at the moment.

Mikel Arteta's side are top of the Premier League thanks to an unbelievable run of victories, and after Tuesday's dramatic win over Porto, they're into the quarter-finals of the Champions League as well.

The north Londoners have been in such brilliant form of late that it's impossible to single one player out, making team selection pretty straightforward for Arteta.

Bar any injuries or players needing a rest, the Spaniard can pick the same XI in the knowledge that they'll perform, which is great for him and the fans, but not for a certain player on the bench who used to be a regular starter.

Why Zinchenko could lose his place in the team

Yes, the player in question is Ukrainian Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The skilful full-back joined the Gunners from Manchester City in July 2022 for just £30m and immediately became an integral part of the side that came agonisingly close to lifting the title last season, making 33 appearances across all competitions.

Appearances

56

Goals

2

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.10

Average Points per Game

2.09

The 27-year-old's ability to seamlessly invert into the middle of the park and help the Gunners control possession was an essential aspect of how Arteta wanted his team to play, and at that, he is excellent. However, there's a drawback to the Radomyshl-born ace's game, which is his defensive fragilities.

It was a flaw on full display when the Gunners travelled to Anfield last season and this season, as the Reds' equaliser in both games came directly from his mistakes.

Even in his short cameo against Porto, the defensive "liability", as Gary Neville once dubbed him, made several errors that invited more pressure upon the hosts, which led to football.london's Kaya Kaynak awarding him a 5/10 on the night and writing that 'he gave Porto a bit of a chance.'

If this had been last season, a lack of genuine alternatives would have left Zinchenko relatively safe in his position regardless of his suspect defending, but the recent form of one of his teammates and the imminent return of two others have put his place in the XI in real jeopardy.

The players who could replace Zinchenko

So, the first player who looks ready to replace the Ukrainian in the XI is Polish international Jakub Kiwior.

The former Spezia man came into the team during half-time against Liverpool when Zinchenko came off injured and has looked at home ever since.

In the six games he has started since, the 24-year-old has helped keep three clean sheets, provided two assists and scored one goal while looking far more defensively astute than the man he replaced.

If he maintains his form, the Tychy-born star will likely keep his place in the team beyond the game at the Etihad, but Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber could also stake a claim for the position should he falter.

Appearances at Left-Back

27

19

10

Goals

2

0

0

Assists

5

0

1

Average Points per Game

1.81

2.16

2.40

The former has already played 17 games for the Gunners in that position and, like Kiwior, can bring some extra physicality to the role due to being 6 foot 2.

On the other hand, Timber has only played as a left-back ten times in his career. Still, two of those appearances came for Arsenal before he suffered his devastating ACL injury, suggesting that Arteta sees him in that position in the long term.

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Ultimately, while Zinchenko does offer the Londoners an extra body in midfield, it would appear as if his defensive failings are becoming increasingly hard to ignore for the manager and as he is already struggling to win back his place from one of his teammates, it could be game over when the other two are back to full fitness.

The left-hander has been unable to regain his Test place this season but his one-day form has been impressive

Daniel Brettig25-Nov-2019Usman Khawaja has bluntly directed Shane Warne to his record in all forms of cricket in response to criticism that he needs to “show how important playing for Australia is to him”.Having been dropped from the Australia Test team during the Ashes and not chosen in the squad for the Gabba Test, Khawaja will instead lead Queensland against Western Australia in the domestic limited-overs tournament final on Tuesday, and made his irritation at Warne plain when asked about it.”I don’t think there’s any need to answer that question,” Khawaja said of Warne questioning his desire to play for Australia. “I’m a batsman, I’m a run scorer first and foremost so that’s my currency, but if you look at my Shield record, you look at my one-day domestic record, my record for Australia, my BBL record, I score runs. That’s all that matters. Not really [going to change my body language], I’m a pretty cool bloke. You either get it or you don’t, that’s the way it is.”Asked whether he had given up on playing for Australia, he said: “No, never. If I had, I would’ve retired. You always have the goal of playing at the highest level. I feel like I belong at international level, but I’ve got to score runs, and if I do that, the rest will take care of itself.”Warne, who has criticised Khawaja on other occasions in the past, lauded the selectors Trevor Hohns and Justin Langer for dropping him. “Justin Langer and Trevor Hohns have done a good thing with Usman Khawaja,” Warne said in a column. “By leaving him out they have asked him to show how important Test cricket, and playing for Australia, is to him.”Throughout his Test career, he always seems to do just enough. Sometimes you just want to shake him and get him to show a bit more. Different personalities make up the team and some people aren’t as exuberant and emotional as others, but he can be better, particularly with his body language.”However, there will be an insight provided into how Khawaja felt about playing for Australia in a new fly-on-the-wall documentary series, commissioned by Cricket Australia in 2018 and depicting the team’s road back from the Newlands scandal to the dual campaigns for the World Cup and the Ashes. Khawaja is captured in the trailer holding his head in his hands after England’s one-wicket triumph at Headingley, which meant Australia had to win at Old Trafford to retain the Ashes. Khawaja was dropped after Headingley and has not played since.”Yeah it was very tough, a tough moment. I think it was a tough moment for the whole of Australia, let alone the guys playing,” Khawaja said. “So that stuff’s the down of sport, the stuff you don’t see, I keep my emotions in check when I’m on the field, but it’s probably the stuff off the field that you don’t see. I think I just wanted to win the Ashes there, and it felt like we had and then we lost it. That’s all it was, that’s why it hurt so badly at the time, it was devastating.”For a long time Australian cricket’s been very closed off, especially at international, not allowing people into the change rooms. I think this documentary is great, to see the other side of it, a lot of the fans wouldn’t have seen it ever, unless you were invited to come in. It’s a pretty special place, very different to what you see on the outside.”We just got used to it, you could have the camera in the shower and we wouldn’t even notice. A lot of the time the Doc just had the cameras up in the change room and we had no idea they were even there. Once it happens all the time you just get so used to it.”The selectors chose to drop Khawaja after he suffered a string of poor umpiring decisions in the Sheffield Shield, but in the domestic one-day tournament has delivered scores of 138, 112, 5, 31 and 86 not out to drive Queensland to the final at Allan Border Field. Speaking about how his Test fortunes had seemingly been cruelled by the judgments of umpires, Khawaja took a fatalistic view of events.”That’s frustrating, but that’s life, I’ve got to move forward, there’s not much I can do about it now,” he said. “I’m quite happy playing for Queensland, doing what I need to do for my state. I actually don’t think too much into a lot of things these days, I’m literally just going out and for me I’m a batsman trying to score runs, or in the field trying to take catches or get run outs, try to keep it really simple.”

Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are reportedly considering a shock new sporting investment that would cost them £20 million ($26m).

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Hollywood stars acquired Red Dragons in 2021Now involved in Mexican football & Formula 1Considering move to land stake in cricket teamGetty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?

The Hollywood stars have been calling the shots at SToK Racecourse since completing a stunning takeover in 2021. They have enjoyed considerable success in footballing terms, with back-to-back promotions lifting Wrexham into League One.

AdvertisementDID YOU KNOW?

Reynolds and McElhenney also form part of an investment group that owns stakes in Mexican side Necaxa – with another Welcome to Wrexham style documentary being lined up there – and the Alpine Formula 1 team.

THE GOSSIP

According to , Reynolds and McElhenney have held talks with the ECB regarding a move to buy into the Welsh Fire franchise – who will be back to compete in the 2024 staging of The Hundred. The England and Wales Cricket Board are looking to raise around £500m from the sale of 49 per cent stakes in the eight teams taking part in The Hundred.

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WHAT NEXT?

It is claimed that the Welsh Fire would be the cheapest team to get involved with, but would still set Reynolds and McElhenney back approximately £20m. US bank Raine Group – who have previously handled the sale of Chelsea to a Todd Boehly-led consortium and helped Sir Jim Ratcliffe to acquire a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United – are overseeing talks that could see famous faces at Wrexham branch out into white-ball cricket.

Football fans want more; it's an intrinsic part of supporting a team, enjoying the highs and enduring the lows. There is certainly a sense at West Ham United that the reigning Europa Conference League champions could go to another level.

Seventh in the Premier League and preparing for a quarter-final clash in the Europa League against high-flying Bayer Leverkusen, David Moyes' job, on the surface level, is secure and his squad is in a good place, improved after impressive summer recruitment to combat the mammoth sale of Declan Rice.

But there's an unmissable ebb and flow to this team, and despite the success of forward-thinking players like Jarrod Bowen, Muhammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta, there's a lot to be desired in attacking play.

It's better than it once was. For. Sure. West Ham have suffered some testing times regarding forwards in recent years, with Albian Ajeti one of the biggest underperformers.

Why West Ham signed Albian Ajeti

West Ham completed the transfer of Switzerland international Ajeti for around £8m back in August 2019 in what looked to be a shrewd deal, the 22-year-old having scored 21 goals and supplied 11 assists in his homeland the previous campaign.

To say he fell by the wayside would be offensive to the term. Ajeti was awful, scoring and assisting nothing from 12 West Ham displays and being harangued for his "lazy" attitude by pundit Frank McAvennie.

He was signed during the same window as Sebastien Haller, who joined for a club-record £45m fee at the time, and while the Ivorian can only go down as a flop himself after scoring 14 goals and adding three assists across 54 matches, sold due to an unwillingness to adapt to Moyes' managerial style, Ajeti, who earned a pretty pay packet at £60k-per-week, is at the bottom of the barrel.

Matches played

9

Matches started

0

Minutes per game

17

Goals

0

Assists

0

Pass completion

80%

Touches per game

3.3

Shots per game

0.3

Key passes per game

0.2

Dribbles per game

0.0

Tackles per game

0.1

Duels won per game

0.2

Scottish Premiership giants Celtic swooped in to end Ajeti's Irons nightmare and secured his services for around £5m, saving West Ham from a severe loss, though the Swiss' £60k-per-week wages in England do underscore how abject an asset he was.

Ajeti's transfer valuation in 2024

Ajeti has not enjoyed much success since leaving West Ham, and while his football improved at Celtic, scoring nine goals from 48 appearances, the Basel-born player has never revived his goalscoring ability and has actually netted just 14 times since joining West Ham way back when.

As per Football Transfers' player valuation model, Ajeti is worth just £860k, which marks a staggering 89% depreciation. It's as if his short stay in London snipped the core of his talent, sent his career into a spin.

While Ajeti didn't cost the club too much during his short stint in east London, largely thanks to Celtic's ill-advised move, he dramatically failed to impress and joins a litany of misfires up front for West Ham, Haller very much included.

The fact that his market value has nosedived to its present lowly figure merely illustrates the fall of a once-promising prospect.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

Wolverhampton Wanderers play their first Premier League this evening since March 9 as they face Aston Villa.

The Old Gold are flying high in the top flight this term, yet they slipped to a stunning defeat to Coventry City in the FA Cup quarter-final just two weeks ago.

They led 2-1 with just injury time to go, but the Sky Blues scored twice – including the winner with just seconds to go – to claim a semi-final spot.

Gary O’Neil will no doubt have been devastated at such a collapse, yet it will allow him to focus on securing a top-half finish in the Premier League this season.

Wolves team news vs Aston Villa

The previous few weeks have seen several first-team stars suffer various injury issues. First, it was Matheus Cunha, before the likes of Hwang Hee-Chan, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Craig Dawson and Pedro Neto were all ruled out.

The latter four will be unavailable for the clash against Villa this evening, as O’Neil will have to rejig his starting XI.

Cunha may be in line for a first appearance since the 2-0 loss to Brentford at the beginning of February.

Despite the Brazilian pushing for an opportunity, the manager may prefer to play it safe and continue to utilise a striker who has deputised for him and Hwang recently – Nathan Fraser.

Nathan Fraser can replace Hwang and Cunha

Between them during the 2023/24 campaign, Hwang and Cunha have scored 22 goals along with registering a further ten assists between them, emerging as O’Neil’s main attacking partnership when both are fit.

Since the pair have been out injured, he has had to change things slightly, with Fraser coming into the first team setup on a more regular basis.

Metric

Matheus Cunha

Hwang Hee-Chan

Goals

9

10

Assists

6

3

Key passes per game

1

0.7

Big chances created

7

4

Successful dribbles per game

2.2

1.4

During an EFL Cup tie against Blackpool earlier this season, the youngster scored and grabbed an assist, adding another goal to his collection against Brentford in the FA Cup back in January.

The teen has been described as “inquisitive” by the U21 head coach, James Collins, following his excellent showings for the youth team.

His maturity at such a young age has given O’Neil a licence to unleash the player against clubs such as Newcastle United and Manchester United recently.

The teenager has shown plenty of promise across his four league appearances this season as he has averaged 0.5 key passes per game, won two total duels per game and lost possession on just three occasions per match, showing he has the ability to have an excellent future at the club.

If he can score his first top flight goal against Villa this evening, it could give O’Neil a major selection headache, especially with Cunha and Hwang returning to the fold sooner rather than later.

Being thrown in the deep end appears to have worked wonders for Fraser and his confidence levels, showing that he can adapt to senior football, especially in the Premier League.

Wolves in danger of losing a "top talent" who could replace Semedo

The loanee has not played a single minute for Wolves since joining in 2021.

ByTom Lever Mar 29, 2024

A victory over the Villa Park side will bolster their chances of finishing in the top half of the table. There is no doubt about that.