Wolves reporter Nathan Judah has given his thoughts on Daniel Podence following his recent performance.
Bruno Lage’s side saw off Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Molineux, with 26-year-old Podence bagging a goal either side of Nelson Semedo’s to see them through to the next round.
Podence has found it hard to make an impact on the Wolves side this season, making just five starts in the league, but he made up for it on the weekend with his two goals, which doubled his tally for the year following his other two goals coming in their Carabao Cup campaign.
Speaking about his performance on the Express and Star YouTube channel after the game, Judah praised the Portuguese forward’s display and claimed that if Podence could be given a consistent run of playing time in the side, he could prove to be very important to Wolves moving forward.
He said: “I think we all know what Daniel Podence can do, and it’s screaming for a run in the side. Now, if you can get Daniel Podence playing like that for 10 games – he was brilliant at Old Trafford, he was excellent today, he could be key.
“And you talk about Pedro Neto, we might not see the best of Pedro Neto until the back end of the season. So, Daniel Podence in this side, with the question marks over Adama Traore, with Trincao being in and out of the side, he could be key going forward.”
TIF Thoughts on Nathan Judah’s comments about Daniel Podence at Wolves…
Do you think Podence will have a big season next year?
Yes
No
Judah is right when it comes to Podence and his place in the side, because whilst he hasn’t been playing frequently, he has still managed to have some impact on games, as he ranks fifth in the Wolves side for shots per game, has bagged two assists in the league and averages 0.9 key passes per match, which ranks joint-fourth in the whole team (stats via WhoScored).
So there is clearly something that Podence is bringing to the table and it does seem he hasn’t been given the correct opportunity to prove what he can do and do it on a regular basis.
And whilst it should be noted this was against Championship opposition, the confidence that he’ll have gotten from finding the back of the net twice could be big for him going forward, so it’s certainly something for Lage to consider.
In other news: Reporter claims Ruben Neves would stay at Wolves pending one condition