Matt Hobbs: I'm excited with what Gary O'Neil can achieve at Wolves

Wolves have hired the 40-year-old as their new coach following the departure of Julen Lopetegui.

Hobbs spent the past ten days considering a number of candidates, but following a meeting with O’Neil, was left in no doubt that he would be the new man to take the club forward.

"I had a conversation with Julen (Lopetegui) in the tunnel after the Celtic game. He was honest with his opinion and what he thought should happen," said Hobbs.

"What was great was he was happy for us to take our time and interview other candidates and he was willing to wait until we found the right person, continuing to work and prepare the team properly.

"The way he and his staff worked during that period tells you everything you need to know about them. It’s allowed us time to go through a thorough process.

"It’s an opportunity to do something different with a young, up and coming British coach and from the people we met, Gary was clearly the right person from very early into his presentation.

"His attention to detail, thoroughness and history of developing players impressed us – he’s worked with both young and experienced players and understands the process.

"The detail he showed with his tactical work, including against us last year, gives you confidence about the work he and his staff put into every game.

"He has his way of playing, what he wants to do, but he tweaks it for each opposition and understands he has to change patterns of games to create opportunities.

"He’s very forward thinking, very driven, like he has a point to prove because he did a great job at Bournemouth. I came away feeling very excited and optimistic after the interview. I’m pleased to have him on board.

"He showed good knowledge of our squad and how it works within his principles. Like any new manager, it’ll take time to get used to the players and understand them, not only on a tactical level. Part of our decision was if he fits to our squad, because we don’t want to rebuild a squad, we want to keep our principles going forward now, so we can have a long-term strategy."

O'Neil's successful spell at AFC Bournemouth last year earned him huge plaudits with many believing he should have won manager of the season.

The Cherries finished 15th, just two points behind Wolves, with many bookmakers initially seeing them as certainties for relegation.

"Everything’s been positive. Everyone talks about his man management skills, bringing everything together and his support staff have worked on that too. He’s good in youth development and has Premier League experience.

"When a manager comes into a playing group, you need their buy in, and in the past maybe that would have been harder, but the leadership group we’ve got have done a great job of managing the dressing room and keeping it upbeat. It’s as good an atmosphere as I’ve known since I’ve been at the club.

"One thing I can tell from his interviews is he works with huge intensity and diligence. I know he’s already been working while we’ve been negotiating, so he’ll be ready to go.

"Like any of us when you start a new job, you get your head down and start working, and he has a lot to do on and off the pitch. He has a lot of people to meet but isn’t bringing a large staff, which is a positive because we’ve got a lot of good people here. I’m excited by what he can do with this team.

"If I have a message for our supporters, it would be that it’s OK to feel sad and disappointed about Julen’s departure, but at the same time it’s OK to be optimistic because I genuinely feel this is an exciting and progressive appointment for the club."