One Wolves star will be regretting his decision to join the club in the summer amid struggles over his playing time.
Wolves made eight new signings during the summer transfer window and some of their recruits have excelled despite their lowly position in the table.
Andre has looked like a ‘superstar’ talent for Wolves, conducting proceedings in the middle of the park with his passing, while Jorgen Strand Larsen has provided a clinical edge up front.
That duo, along with midfielder Tommy Doyle, have been the most impressive of the summer additions, while there is another player who has struggled.
Rodrigo Gomes was regarded as a shrewd capture, arriving from SC Braga for £12.7 million.
The 21-year-old, who can play as a winger or wing-back in various systems, has rarely featured since switching to the Premier League.
Gomes started and impressed on his Wolves debut against Arsenal but since then, the Portugal under-21 international has played just 42 minutes in the top flight.
Meanwhile, the wingers’ only other start came in the 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton in September, with the 2003-born star playing the full 90 minutes.
From dazzling on his debut to warming the bench, Gomes has experienced the harsh realities of Premier League football and sadly, it doesn’t look as though his fortunes will change anytime soon.
Why Rodrigo Gomes hasn’t featured much for Wolves
Gomes has been dubbed ‘exciting’ for his ability to rapidly glide past defenders and supply telling ammunition into the box.
The fleet-footed winger has shown glimpses of his talent in gold however, with the change in system to a three-man defence, Nelson Semedo has been preferred as wing-back on the right while Rayan Ait-Nouri is nailed to start on the left.
Even when O’Neil was operating with a 4-3-3 formation, Gomes was left on the bench as the manager preferred the likes of Carlos Forbs, Hwang Hee-chan and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde ahead of him in wide areas.
Gomes will feel hard done by in this situation, as Wolves head into their relegation six-pointer against Southampton without a win on the board and he’s rarely had the chance to feature.
Hopefully, O’Neil will begin to use the talented operator more as we enter the hectic Christmas period, otherwise, he will continue to question why he joined.
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