'Cut out the silly stuff' – Julen Lopetegui tells Wolves forward Diego Costa
Head coach Julen Lopetegui wants Diego Costa to leave behind the ‘silly’ mistakes and focus on making an impact for Wolves.
The veteran striker will return from suspension and is expected to play some part against Gillingham tomorrow night, after serving his three match ban that saw him miss the final games before the World Cup break.
Lopetegui regularly selected Costa for the Spain national team during his time in charge, and the new Wolves boss now wants the 34-year-old to ‘push the bad things away’ in his game.
“We hope it’ll be the best impact from not only him but the rest of the players,” Lopetegui said.
“Diego is here to help us – he is trying to work very hard and he’s very focused.
“He knows this is a big opportunity for him, he was more or less out of high level football for six month, now he again has the chance to play in the elite – the Premier League.
“He knows that and he’s working very hard to recover his best version and we’re going to help him do that. It’s not just about Diego, it’s also the rest of the players, but I hope his experience can help us.
“But he has to push the bad things away. I want to see his character, playing football, not making silly things.”
Costa’s red card came for a headbutt on Ben Mee against Brentford at the end of October.
When asked if the forward is eager to play again after that long lay-off, Lopetegui added: “Yes, he has been playing like he is a child again, like a young player.
“This is a big opportunity for him. He’s fit and working hard, he can help us over the rest of the season.”
Meanwhile, Lopetegui hopes Pedro Neto may get back on the grass at the end of January as he recovers from a serious ankle injury that he sustained in early October.
He said: “I don’t know how long but I hope he is fit as soon as possible because he is a very good player and very important player for us. I think now he has to wait.
“We have to wait for him because he has had surgery and I think maybe one month more before he starts working. When you are out for three months, then you have to work for maybe one month more to be fit.”
The Express & Star also understands that Boubacar Traore had a scan yesterday to determine the severity of a groin injury.
