The Athletic reporter Tim Spiers has been discussing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ plan for young defender Luke Matheson.
During the January transfer window, the teenage defender was signed by the Old Gold in a deal worth £1m from Rochdale, with the youngster being loaned back to the League One outfit (per BBC).
Over the duration of the season with the Dale, the 17-year-old right-back made 29 appearances in all competitions, in which he scored two goals and assisted two (per Transfermarkt).
In the latest episode of The Athletic’s The Molineux View podcast, Spiers discussed the latest regarding the full-back and what Wolves’ plan is for him next season.
He said: “[We’ve] not seen much of him, but obviously there’s been articles written on him by myself and others about what a fantastic young man he is. So, let’s see – unless he wows Nuno [Espirito Santo] in pre-season – he’s one that [will] suffer from [a] lack of [a] proper pre-season because he wants three/four weeks on the training ground and to go to China under Nuno’s watchful eye.
“He’s not going to get that, unfortunately. So, I think a high-end League One loan or a Championship loan is his immediate future.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what Spiers had to say, he believes that it is unlikely Matheson will be featuring for Wolves’ first team next season.
Do you think it would be the right decision to loan out Luke Matheson again next season?
Yes, he's not ready for the first team
No, he should be given a chance
Due to the fact that the young defender only once scored over a 6.2/10 match rating in the last four fixtures that Rochdale played during the 2019/20 season (per WhoScored), that would seem to suggest that the youngster is not ready for Wolves’ first team just yet.