Wolves boss Bruno Lage ponders Chiquinho loan
Bruno Lage believes Chiquinho has taken his chance in a Wolves shirt this season as he prepares for a summer decision on whether to send the youngster out on loan.
The 22-year-old January signing has enjoyed impressive substitute displays – notching two assists in the comeback at Chelsea – before a successful first start against Manchester City.
Lage believes Chiquinho's attitude has been the catalyst for his displays that have got fans off seats for the last five months.
"The most important thing is the impact and personality the kid has," he said.
"Three or four months ago he played for Estoril, some games he played in the first XI and some games he jumped from the bench.
"He came here and everything is new – the rhythm is different – and he's helped the team.
"That's the kind of player we want in our club. A player with personality to continue to work and grab with both hands the little chances we give them.
"He played against Chelsea for 15 minutes and in the next day he came training as hard as usual.
"That's the character and personality we want, but we need to understand that to grow up these players need experienced and top players.
"That's the challenge to build the team. We need a good spine and players with experience in the Premier League and then three or four players like Chiquinho, with time and opportunities to grow up."
However, Lage has a big decision to make with a handful of his young stars who are on the periphery of the first team.
With a squad rebuild expected over the summer, Chiquinho could be handed a loan to aid his development.
Lage added: "He's training, he's learning and every time he has a chance he plays a lot of games for the under-23s.
"Let's see (on his future). The most important thing is not just Chiquinho, but Chem (Campbell), Luke (Cundle) and all the young players.
"When we prepare a squad for next season we need to understand if they have space to grow up like Max (Kilman) did.
"If not, we can have the solution like Morgan (Gibbs-White) had.
"We know they can be special in the future so we need to understand what is the best space for them to grow up as a player.
"If he has a chance to be here and continue his evolution, good, but like Morgan they could have a chance to play all season.
"When they feel they are ready to play more games, if they don't have space to play here we need to find a solution for them."
