Tawanda Chirewa on fast-track to top after Molineux move

Player on either wing or in a central attacking midfield role, the 20-year-old was a player Wolves had watched for some time, after he made his senior Ipswich debut aged just 16.

Athletic, strong on the ball and neat in tight areas, it quickly became clear that Chirewa was a step above the under-21s level and he was slowly integrated into first team training.

He travelled to several home and away games with the team before making the bench for the first time.

“It wasn’t a surprise to be with the first team, but in terms of how quickly it happened, it was a surprise,” Chirewa told the Express & Star.

“But you can’t be surprised for too long, I have to try and show the gaffer that I’m ready, can perform for them and get the trust from the players.

“I don’t think I’m there yet to be a fully fledged player, but I’m working every day to try and get there.

“It’s been a quick rise but coming here I knew I had to start quickly and try to make my mark on the academy, and I think I’ve done quite well at that.

“But I still have a long way to go. There’s still a lot I need to improve on to play Premier League football regularly.

“That’s the most important thing, trusting in my ability.

“Having confidence that you can produce the goods no matter who you’re against and I think I have that in myself, I just need to show it every day in training. I’ll keep plugging away.”

Chirewa’s senior Wolves debut came off the bench in the FA Cup at Brentford on January 5, followed by a top flight debut as a substitute at Brighton.

He is yet to make a start for the first team, but has made six appearances in total so far, with four coming in the Premier League.

Injuries to attacking personnel mean Chirewa has been a mainstay on the bench and his under-21s minutes have been limited, to keep him fit for Gary O’Neil’s side.

But on Monday night, he was handed 90 minutes for the academy against Sunderland and stood out in a 2-1 loss, where he swept home Wolves’ goal with a smart strike.

“As a team, it was a tough game for us,” Chirewa said.

“We started quite well but they took control for a spell and it took us a while to get back into it.

“In the end we started pushing to get a win and it cost us with the goal we conceded. It was a tough one.

“It was massively important to get 90 minutes, which I haven’t played for a while.

“It was tough but it was good to get back out there and show what I’ve improved on with the first team. I felt good out there.”

Watching on at Aggborough Stadium was Mario Lemina, who had a keen eye on his younger brother Noha who had started for the under-21s.

But the star midfielder was also on hand to give advice to Wolves’ up-and-coming talent and Chirewa says the team’s leaders have been supportive of his rise.

“They’ve been fantastic with me,” he said.

“We have the leaders like Mario, Max, Pablo and Cunha. Top guys who look after me.

“Mario was even here (on Monday night) and helped me by giving me advice on how I can improve.

“I’m sure he’ll come in and tell me where I went wrong and where it went right. There’s some big characters there.”

The challenge for Chirewa now, is to earn regular Premier League minutes.

Although his rise through the Wolves ranks has been swift, he is at an age now where he will want to be a consistent impact if he is going to make it at this level.

The physical attributes are there, he now needs to keep putting it all together on the pitch, and his ambition should put him in good stead.

Chirewa said: “It’s good but I want more and want to make a mark on the Premier League as well.

“It’s good to play games but I don’t think you’re a Premier League player properly until you’ve done something and got 50, 60 games.

“I’m a long way from where I want to be. I can’t rest on my laurels now. There’s seven games to go and I want to play as many as I can and show the fans and the gaffer that I’m someone who can be relied on to produce the goods and work hard.”

And is he targeting more minutes at Nottingham Forest this weekend?

“Hopefully, but you never know,” he said.

“I’ll just be ready and whatever the gaffer wants from me, I’ll do it.”