Five Wolves players that impressed during Austria trip
Pre-season is always a time to impress – but even more so when a new head coach has just taken the reins.
With Nuno Espirito Santo quickly evaluating his squad for the forthcoming campaign it's been a vital few weeks for Wolves' players.
So after 10 days out in Austria – a trip that included three matches – who will have caught Nuno's eye?
Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers picks out the most impressive performers from pre-season so far.
Conor Coady
What is this guy, a central midfielder, a right back...or maybe even a centre half?
He's definitely Wolves' answer to Brian Blessed, that's for sure. Barely half a minute goes by during a match or a training session without Coady barking instructions or geeing up his team mates with his incessant positivity.
That's part of the reason why he's suited to the central defensive role that he's taken to like MC Hammer to oversized novelty trousers, albeit in three tepid friendlies.
Coady has been earmarked for the role by Nuno and you can see why – he sniffs out danger, he's a common sense footballer who rarely makes mistakes, he's a leader and an organiser and he does the simple things well.
That makes him an asset in any squad and this is an experiment worth pursuing. Coady – who got more minutes than anyone during the Austria tour after completing two matches – may be about to reinvent himself yet again.
Jack Price
This guy's had more comebacks than George Foreman, Nick Cotton and Johnny Cash combined.
And just when you thought he was out for good, they pulled him back in. Price looked set to leave Molineux just a couple of months ago but Nuno likes what he sees.
Price has been the main beneficiary of the Portuguese boss's 3-4-3 formation and in particular his penchant for a patient, probing passing game.
That's Jack Price all over and he gave two impressive performances in Austria, spraying the ball around for fun against Werder Bremen and Viktoria Plzen.
Competition has been fierce for midfield places but with Lee Evans out in the cold Price looks to have earned his place in the squad – and maybe even Nuno's first XI – for now.
Nouha Dicko
Two goals in three appearances will have done Dicko's confidence the world.
His Bremen goal was expertly taken, a clinical finish from the right of the area, and then he popped up with a tap-in against Plzen (an easy finish but the important thing was he was there to turn it home, which wasn't always the case last season).
Dicko enjoys Nuno's 3-4-3 formation and it does seem to suit his skill set of playing with pace and good movement off the last man, particularly if he's got Ruben Neves slotting in through balls and the likes of Cavaleiro, Costa and Graham sending crosses into the danger area.
Dicko was at his peak for Wolves in 2014/15 when he combined superbly with Bakary Sako and Benik Afobe. If the Mali international can strike up a similar connection with Costa, Cavaleiro et al then you'd back him to surpass the 15-goal haul he accrued in that campaign.
Ivan Cavaleiro
Three games and three lively performances from the Portugese winger who looked 'on it' from the start of the first game against Bremen and continued that all tour.
He had a hand in both Plzen goals, had a goal disallowed against Jablonec and created or spurned a few more goalscoring chances.
He was Wolves' bright spark and put in his fair share of running off the ball too.
Consistency was Cavaleiro's problem last season but if he builds on his flying start to pre-season it could be a different story for the winger in 2017/18.
What a shame he misses that Middlesbrough opener through suspension.
Ruben Neves
Anyone who didn't jet out to Austria and hasn't had the fortune of seeing Neves in the flesh yet...boy are you in for a treat.
The man handles a football like Monet handles a paintbrush. He creates works of art with his sumptuous, piercing through balls. And he does so effortlessly.
Yes the intense, physical Championship will be a world away from these Austria friendlies but Neves' many attributes – in particular his vision and his passing range – make it difficult to see him not being a roaring success this season.
He can ping it to the flank in the blink of an eye but it's his passes through the lines and past bewildered centre halves that should benefit Wolves most of all.
What a player Wolves look to have on their hands here.
Not forgetting...
Barry Douglas made a very tidy start to life at Wolves and could be a shrewd addition at left wing back.
In fact all of the new signings made an impression. Roderick Miranda (languid, good on the ball) and Willy Boly (a tank of a player for whom subtlety is in short supply) are very different centre halves but look to have enough about them to make an impact. John Ruddy and Will Norris weren't unduly tested but impressed on the training ground and Ryan Bennett made an assured couple of appearances in defence.
Elsewhere Matt Doherty looked right at home as a wing back. Connor Ronan picked up where he left off midway through last season. Danny Batth adapted to life in a new formation with minimal fuss. And what a pleasure it was to see Michal Zyro in a Wolves shirt again.
