Ruben Neves: Espanyol wonder strike only my fourth-best goal for Wolves
Wolves hero Ruben Neves has revealed the secret behind his spectacular goals – after rating this week’s wonder strike against Espanyol as only his FOURTH best for the club.
The 22-year-old thumped home a stunning volley as Nuno Espirito Santo’s team won 4-0 to take a big step toward the last-16 of the Europa League on Thursday night.
But while delighted with the goal, Neves – who has compiled an extended catalogue of exceptional strikes – does not believe it was his best for Wolves. He explained: “To be honest, for me, I think that would come in fourth place.
“The three above? The goals against Derby County, Sheffield United at home, and Sheffield Wednesday away. That was a really special goal because of the way I hit the ball.”
Thursday’s goal was Neves’s 15th since joining Wolves in the summer of 2017. Other than three penalties, all have come from outside the box and the midfielder explained how his success is a case of practice making perfect.
“It’s about my position on the field,” he said. “I don’t get inside the box many times, so when I get a chance to shoot outside of the box, I’ll do it. That’s why I have 12 goals outside of the area.
“It’s something I do in training a lot. I know I can do even better.
“Of course, I practised this in training, it’s all about training. Every chance I have, I practice that part of the game, this is important, it’s what can give you the solution.
“It’s a good solution to have when teams are defending well. I’ll keep working on improving on that.”
Wolves travel to Espanyol next Thursday for the second leg of their last-32 tie. But first up is tomorrow’s visit of Norwich in the Premier League.
The Canaries sit bottom of the table, but Neves warned: “Norwich are a really tough team.
“The position they are in does not reflect the quality they have. We’ll have to be on our best to get a good result.”
