Pedro Neto delighted to have Willian Jose at Wolves

Describing the Real Sociedad loanee as a ‘good guy’ who ‘smells the goals’, Neto is delighted to have him around ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park.

It appears to have the makings of a successful partnership, too.

Neto has been the main creative source in the Wolves side this season but since Raul Jimenez’s injury, his inviting crosses have often not been attacked.

Jose, though, is more of a traditional target man and even displayed his aerial prowess as a late substitute in the draw against Chelsea on Wednesday night – making a crucial headed clearance right at the death at Stamford Bridge.

Having had a couple of days to properly get to know his new team-mates now, the Brazilian striker seems a decent bet to start against the Eagles.

And Neto is looking forward to playing alongside the 29-year-old, who Wolves have the option of buying for £22million in the summer.

“He’s a player with quality and different from the others we have here,” said Neto.

“I like him because he’s a good guy, and he scores goals.

“He’s a very good player, so what we need is a guy to help the team and we are very happy to have him here with us.

“He’s a guy in the box that smells the goals, you know.

“So, we are very happy to have him and I think he can be very helpful for our team.”

Jose was able to feature against Chelsea having been granted a work permit just in time.

He arrived in England on Tuesday night so had hardly met the rest of the Wolves squad before coming on in the 72nd minute in the capital.

But with some proper training under his belt, he will be looking to make an impression against Roy Hodgson’s men.

Wolves chief Nuno Espirito Santo said on the centre forward: “We’re happy.

“He arrived on Tuesday and attended the team talk.

“We had to pass on as many messages as we could – the info and tasks for the game.

“We have Patrick (Cutrone) and Fabio (Silva) also, so we can decide which is the best moment.

“Chelsea was better for Willian as the game required the characteristic of holding the ball. But he has to adapt fast. You could see that he was struggling on the duels.

“It’s very demanding, so the players must be ready for it.”

Neto, meanwhile, is hoping to build on a positive performance at Chelsea.

Wolves put in a fantastic defensive display, and now he wants to match that going forward against the Eagles after agonisingly clipping the crossbar in the 0-0 draw.

“I think we did a great job. We improved in this game, and we did a very good game defensively,” added Neto.

“The draw was fair, but we also had three good opportunities to score.

“It was a good point, so we’ll continue to improve.

“We did a clean sheet and hadn’t done one for a long time.

“We didn’t take the three points but we are happy with the performance.

“It was very important. It’s the strongest thing in our team, the way that we defend.

“Then we can look for the speed in front after.

“Defend well, stay compact, and then look to attack. Now, we focus on the next one to win.”

Rayan Ait-Nouri is a doubt for Wolves after being forced off at half-time against the Blues.

If he cannot make it, Nelson Semedo will likely fill in at left-wing-back with Ki-Jana Hoever on the right.