Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham has insisted that Adama Traore has to change as a player if he is to hit the heights that he has the potential to do so.
The Spanish winger was a summer signing for the Molineux outfit from Middlesbrough but has not contributed as much as expected since his big money arrival, with just one goal and one assist in the Premier League this season.
Higginbotham insists that he have be a top quality player but that he has got to work on his final delivery and decision making, having been blown away by his physical capabilities.
Asked what he can do to improve, he told Sky Sports News’ Match Centre (07/03, 10:00): “It’s his end product, that’s the biggest thing with Traore. I’ve not seen a player quicker than him – he’s so direct, so strong – but a lot of the time it is his end ball. That final decision making, whether he be going for goal, whether it be a pass.
“There’s no doubt about it, when he gets going he takes some stopping. players just can’t keep up with him. If they can (get him to learn) you’ve got a real player on your hands.”
Opinion
Higginbotham is saying exactly what the Molineux faithful have been thinking all season about their speed machine. The man is built like a tank but has the pace of a fighter jet – it is such a shame he is not nearly as dangerous as those two machines are when it comes to attacking. He simply lacks the footballing knowledge or awareness to make the difference and too often he ends up wasting the great positions he finds himself in with a poor shot or a wrong pass. If he could iron out those errors then he would be a tremendous talent – but is it a case of it being too late? They say you cannot teach an old dogs new tricks and while Traore is hardly a veteran of the game he does seem to be stuck in his ways, learning little to nothing from the mistakes he has made in the past. Nuno Espirito Santo cannot be happy having such an inconsistent performer out on the pitch and if he is not developing then he is going to waste the athletic talents he does have.