Wolves young guns urged to take their chance
Wolves’ young guns have been urged to grab their opportunity with both hands if they get a chance to impress in the Europa League.
With Helder Costa leaving for Leeds United and Raul Jimenez and Romain Saiss having only just finished international duty, there are gaps in Wolves’ senior squad to fill for both their trip to China and the Europa League.
The likes of Max Kilman and Bright Enobakhare are likely to be given a chance.
And academy boss Scott Sellars told the Express & Star that Wolves’ small senior squad offered the youngsters an almost unique position at Premier League and European level.
Sellars said: “If I was a player now, I’d be looking at Wolves with 18 first-team outfield players – if there’s an injury, or they can impress in the under-23s or in the hundreds of training sessions they could have with the first-team. It’s an open route.
“If they have a mindset of saying ‘this is a chance’ rather than making up the numbers, they can do it.
“Nuno has spoken to them on a number of occasions and told them to be ready.
“I just think sometimes young players think it’ll happen naturally. But that’s not how football works.”
Wolves’ Europa League campaign begins on July 25 against either Crusaders or B36 Torshavn.
Sellars said the youngsters were well-placed to do a good job, if called upon.
“That’ll be Nuno’s decision,” he added. “Elliott Watt, Ryan Giles, Max Kilman and Benny Ashley-Seal all got opportunities last season so he’s not afraid to do it.
“I’ve never been at a club where it feels like everything is interlinked between the academy and first-team.
“The academy plays the same way as the first team, the principles are the same and the manager talks about young players, he wants to look at the 16 or 17-year-olds, not just the under-23s.”
