OPINION
When Wolverhampton Wanderers signed defender Leander Dendoncker in the summer on a loan deal, many were expecting him to make huge strides straight away.
After all, he was part of the Belgium side that finished third in the World Cup this year, and he also has Europa and Champions League experience to his name while he was with Anderlecht.
So why has he failed to make one single Premier League appearance this season?
He only has two outings to his name, which both came in the Carabao Cup – and it remains to be seen why he is so out of favour with boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Speaking in his Express and Star column a few months ago, Steve Bull pondered the same thing about a player who was signed on loan deal which will reportedly be made permanent next summer for and eight-figure clause of £12million.
However, as much as that says a lot about the amount of quality Nuno has to call upon, it also means that Wolves need to make a swift decision about the future of their 6ft 2in [Transfermarkt] signing.
Upon signing him permanently next summer, can Wolves guarantee that they can give him game time on a regular basis if they are not doing so now?
Of course they cannot guarantee that – there is no reason why Nuno would suddenly oust his favoured players in order to accommodate the Belgian.
The situation will no doubt make fans question why the manager made the effort to sign Dendoncker in the first place, and perhaps why the club are treating him so unfairly.
Either way, they must not waste his time come the summer, as it would be harsh to sign him on a permanent basis and then not play him.
Nuno needs to make a swift decision on the 23-year-old’s future, which is clearly up in the air at the moment.