Gary O'Neil: Versatile star so important to Wolves
Gary O’Neil admits Wolves will need Rayan Ait-Nouri as their utility man in the coming weeks after the club’s attacking department was decimated by injuries.
With just one senior attacker fit, Ait-Nouri played left-back, left-wing-back, striker and on the right wing throughout an impressive 90 minutes against Fulham.
Wolves now face a crunch FA Cup quarter-final against Coventry on Saturday and the head coach says the team will need Ait-Nouri to fill in and be at his best.
“He’s very important,” O’Neil said of the 22-year-old. “I’ve been able to use him in a few different positions. He can play in midfield, as a 10, on the right or left.
“He’s a great lad who has loads of ability. I absolutely love him as a guy and he’s come on so much as well, with his professionalism and the way he approaches things.
“He’s learning, asking loads of really good questions where I can help him understand things.
“We used Mario as a second number nine and left winger, so we’ll need all the boys. Everyone knows their roles and we’ll need them to give all they can in whatever position they find themselves in. Lets see if we can get to the end of the season as deep into the Cup as we can get and with as many points as we can get.
“I’m sure they are, and I hope they are, that the supporters are unbelievably proud of the team.
“If I grew up as a Wolves fan and you asked me what I wanted my team to look like, it would have been that.
“They should be really proud of the team.”
Wolves are also relying on Nathan Fraser, after the striker started the win over Fulham.
The 19-year-old academy graduate is likely to start again in the FA Cup and O’Neil is pleased with his progress.
“You can see exactly where Nathan is at this moment, he gives absolutely everything,” O’Neil added. “He leads the line and works his socks off. He’s unbelievably diligent.
“The out of possession plan he carried out perfectly, to the letter. We worked hard on it with him in training to make sure we got it right.
“I knew it would be a tough game and being solid out of possession was really important.
“It was a really good effort from him because he’s also been out for a long time. He looked absolutely shattered in the second half.
“He suffered a hip flexor injury earlier in the season and hasn’t played too much football, so it was important I didn’t throw him in too early a few weeks ago when he hadn’t trained too much.
“Now, he’s got a few weeks under his belt and I’m delighted with how he did.”
