One Wolves star will be questioning his future after rarely featuring for Gary O’Neil in the Premier League this term.
The feel-good factor is slowly returning to Molineux after Wolves secured back-to-back wins over Southampton and Fulham.
Gary O’Neil’s men also moved out of the relegation places with a 4-1 thumping of the Cottagers last weekend – a game which saw Matheus Cunha produce a Dennis Bergkamp-esque masterclass.
Cunha, who is attracting transfer interest from Man United, has been the shining light for Wolves this term with 10 goal involvements in 12 matches.
The 25-year-old has made himself undroppable in gold and is enjoying the best football of his career, unlike one other player.
Tommy Doyle of Wolverhampton Wanderers during a Wolverhampton Wanderers Halloween Open Training Session at Molineux on October 28, 2024 in Wolverha...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Tommy Doyle may regret joining Wolves from Man City permanently
Tommy Doyle was O’Neil’s first permanent transfer of the summer, signing for £4.3 million from Manchester City before the window even opened.
Doyle impressed while on loan from the Citizens last term, featuring 26 times in the Premier League, with 11 of those games being starts.
The 23-year-old has since struggled to nail down a spot in central midfield. O’Neil has preferred new signing Andre, captain Mario Lemina and Brazil international Joao Gomes over him.
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As a result, the Englishman has started just twice in the league, assisting Cunha for his equaliser against Brighton and playing 63 minutes in the win over Southampton.
Wolves midfielders in the Premier League Minutes played
Joao Gomes 1,023
Mario Lemina 972
Andre 454
Tommy Doyle 264
In total, Doyle has played just 264 minutes in the top flight, game time that pales insignificant to his rivals for that midfield position.
Doyle, who was once dubbed ‘quality’, couldn’t even start when Lemina was used as a centre-back against Fulham, as Andre and Gomes formed a solid partnership.
What has Gary O’Neil said about Doyle
The former Man City academy gem moved to Molineux for regular first-team football, and while that hasn’t happened yet, O’Neil has previously showered the midfielder with praise.
Speaking in January after the win over Brentford, the Wolves boss said (via The Athletic): “He works so hard, Tommy is in every day around the place. This week, when we got the new balls from Mitre — normally we play with a Nike ball in the Premier League — Tommy wanted to do extra work with the ball to get used to it.
“He did extra shooting this week, extra long-range passing. That is how diligent and professional he is. He wants to get the best out of himself and cover everything he can.
“When he dragged the ball onto his left foot, I thought, oh, not sure Tom, but he rifled it in the top corner. Such an incredible goal and he deserves it. His performances against Everton and Brentford were fantastic for us when we’ve been missing one of our key players in Mario [Lemina]. Tommy stepped up.”
As explained by O’Neil, Doyle has stepped up in the past when one of Wolves midfielders has been absent, displaying incredible technical attributes.
With the hectic Christmas schedule fast approaching, the Englishman will be waiting patiently for further chances and it’s one he must take.
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