'Time will come' for £19m Wolves playmaker as Vitor Pereira cites Real Madrid star example

The Spanish youngster joined Wolves from Celta Vigo in the summer, signing a five-year contract at Molineux.

However, he has been forced to be patient and made only four Premier League appearances.

His only starts came in the EFL Cup victory over West Ham, when he was substituted midway through the second half, and the home Premier League defeat to Leeds when he was hooked at half-time.

And boss Vitor Pereira says he is careful to ensure Lopez does not put too much pressure on himself too soon in his career.

"He has a lot of quality,” Pereira said of the 21-year-old attacking midfielder.

"He's young, of course, but the time of Fer will come for sure. He's working hard, trying to be ready to help and this is the spirit.”

And Pereira insisted his own history of bringing through talented young players will help Lopez in the long run.

And he cited the example of Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler, who made his bow under Pereira in Turkey as a 16-year-old, and is now producing at Real Madrid and the Turkey national side.

"I have a lot of experience with talented players,” added the head coach.

"I remember Arda Guler at 16 years old. We called him to the first team at Fenerbahce and in the first training I realised this boy is a fantastic player and he wants to play.

"This is the character of the players that have something special, every time they want to play. If they have a free-kick, they want to take it.

"At 16, we went to play in the Europa League and I remember I put him on the pitch and we got a free-kick and he got the ball.

"Every time he wanted the ball and when someone didn't pass to him he was angry with them – now he's at Real Madrid.

"Usually this is the personality of players that have self confidence, but we need to protect them.

"If they go there and they don't perform, we have the other side of the coin and they start to be anxious. They will push themselves and increase the pressure.”

Pereira continued: "A manager must understand and learn with experience to balance the fire and the talent, and when they are ready to play.

"For this kind of player, he plays today but tomorrow we will see. Don't criticise yourself or push too much.

"Confidence comes from inside of you, not from what other people say.

"Today they will say good things about you, but tomorrow the same people will criticise you.

"But your fire, energy and confidence must come from inside without listening or reading (critics).

"At 20 or 21 years old, at the end of a game, what do they do?

“They see if people are saying good or bad things about them.

"We need to balance them and help them."