In profile: Wolves' foreign under-23 starlets

Oskar Buur Rasmussen, Pedro Goncalves, Ming Yang-Yang, Carlos Heredia, Boubacar Hanne, Sherwin Seedorf and Jose Xavier have all joined since the start of 2017 with Wolves' youth recruitment strategy growing across Europe.

Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers sat down with under-23 boss Scott Sellars to get the lowdown on Wolves’ potential future stars.

Some have played more than others but in general Sellars is impressed with what he’s seen so far.

“It’s a good group,” he said. “Our style probably isn’t typically English so adapting hasn’t been a problem. It’s about adapting to how fast it is. They’re quickly learning to respect the English game.

“Everybody says foreign players are technically better – I’d say no, the game is different, particularly tempo and speed.

“If you’re a good player, you’ll adapt.”

Oskar Buur Rasmussen

Age: 19

Nationality: Danish

Position: Right-back

Joined from: Free (after leaving Aarhus)

Contract length: Two years (+1)

Scott Sellars: “Oskar came in during pre-season on a recommendation, played some games and did really well.

“Oskar is what I’d call a really steady player – does everything to a good level, consistently.

“He’s been in English football for two minutes and went straight into that first team game (against Bristol Rovers) and coped well. He’s making good progress. His decision making is very good. He needs a bit of work defensively but can attack well and link play.

“He keeps the momentum going in your build-up. Sometimes if a player isn’t technically good at full back he might be athletic. We feel Oskar keeps our attacking going.

“He covers positions really well, he understands and is very rarely out of position.

“Because his game management is so good he makes it look quite easy at times.”

Pedro Goncalves

Age: 19

Nationality: Portuguese

Position: Central midfield

Joined from: Free (after leaving Valencia)

Contract length: 2 years (+1)

SS: “From day one you could see he’s a good player.

“He’s very good technically, has good game knowledge and understanding. His challenge has been physically adapting, which is new for him.

“He’s got a good attitude, works hard and has shown some real quality. His goal against West Brom stands out.

“He’s similar to Ruben Neves in style, he’s a passer and he’s composed, he doesn’t panic. He’s got to adapt to a different style sometimes but it’s something we’ll work on.”

Ming Yang-Yang

Age: 22

Nationality: Swiss

Position: Central midfield

Joined from: FC Winterthur

Contract length: 3 years

SS: “Technically he’s excellent, a good footballer who again has a strong work ethic and is a good kid.

“He’s a really busy player who never stops but has got good quality.

“Physically it’ll be a challenge for him because he’s not a big lad but because he’s so busy and sees things early we think he’ll be okay.

“With how the football club plays now it shouldn’t be a problem for him. We’re excited to see him get more opportunities.

“Ming came for his medical and had an indication of a slight stress response in his foot so we’ve had to build him up slowly.

“He played for an hour in a friendly recently so he’ll now be back into the programme."

Carlos Heredia

Age: 19

Nationality: Spanish

Position: Attacking midfield

Joined from: CE Europa

Contract length: 2 years

SS: “Carlos came in towards the end of last season on trial and did well.

“Again physically I think we’ll have to be patient with him.

“He’s a really intelligent footballer with a lot of ability.

“He scores goals, creates goals and we’ve got to be patient in terms of where he’s at and he’ll have to be patient too.

“He played in a friendly recently did really well and scored a good goal, which was pleasing.

“There’s plenty to work with there and I definitely see potential in Carlos.”

Boubacar Hanne

Age: 18

Nationality: Portuguese

Position: Winger

Joined from: Free (after leaving Pacos de Ferreira)

Contract length: 2 years (+1)

SS: “Boubacar’s got good ability, he’s a winger, very tricky and goes past people very well.

“He’s been unlucky, he just got playing and picked up a stress fracture in his back so at the moment he’s resting and will be out for a while. It’s similar to Connor Ronan’s injury last season, he’s had a bit of a growth spurt.

“He’s made a good impression in the games he’s played so it’s disappointing he hasn’t got going yet.”

Sherwin Seedorf

Age: 19

Nationality: Dutch

Position: Winger

Joined from: Free (Nike Academy)

Contract length: 1 year (+1)

SS: “We saw Sherwin’s quality last year, every full back was saying how quick he was.

“When he played he’d generally score or have an influence and he’s started that on this season.

“He got a few goals as a sub and now he’s starting. I think he needs to understand what his strengths are a bit more.

“He’s got great pace and is good running with the ball. We see him as a rough diamond – there’s potential. He plays on both wings or as a 10 and can be a nightmare to play against. We’re pleased with him.”

Jose Xavier

Age: 20

Nationality: Portuguese

Position: Striker

Joined from: Chaves

Contract length: 1 year (+1)

SS: “Jose has started a couple of games, we had a friendly recently and he scored there.

“He came in a little bit unfit but has a great work ethic. He’s strong, has good link-up play, he’s a clever player who really gets what we want from him without the ball.

“And he’s a really good finisher – any finishing drills we do he’s winning them. His quality and consistency is good so we’re building him up physically.

“Every time he plays you can see his quality. He can do everything really.

“He works tremendously hard and every day he wants to get better.

“When you get people like that in the building you know he can improve.”