All eyes will be on Hugo Bueno in pre-season, as the Wolves defender returns from a successful loan spell at Feyenoord.
There’s a lot of emphasis on Bueno’s return after Wolves bid farewell to Rayan Ait-Nouri following five years of service.
Ait-Nouri signed for Manchester City to become the Old Gold’s second sale of the 2025 summer transfer window, leaving a vacancy at left-back.
After spending a year away, Bueno is in line to return and reinstate himself into Wolves’ favoured XI, so long as he can impress Vitor Pereira as he did those he’s worked under previously.
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Julen Lopetegui’s prediction about Hugo Bueno
Robin van Persie is an admirer of Bueno, having worked with the defender at Feyenoord after taking charge in February.
Though Pereira has discussed Bueno’s return, the Wolves manager is yet to assess the Spaniard in his squad, making pre-season an important time for both the coach and his player.
If there’s one thing that Pereira can get excited about, it’s what those before him at Wolves have said about the Spain U21 international, with Julen Lopetegui being a huge fan.
During his time as manager, Lopetegui shared strong praise for Bueno, who, at times, he preferred at left-back to Ait-Nouri.
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“He’s young, but he’s very balanced in his character and in his skills, in the defensive and offensive phase,” Lopetegui said in 2023.
What the former Wolves boss said next will excite Pereira, as the Spanish coach identified Bueno as the type of player who is destined to get better and better.
“He has improved more in both phases of the play. He has the profile of player, if you ask me, that he is going to improve.
“He is very professional, and he wants to learn in his daily work. This is the first step to improve in the next years.”
During the 2022/23 campaign, Lopetegui showed his trust in Bueno, handing him 16 Premier League starts as Ait-Nouri was forced to settle for the bench, making only nine starts that term.
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Loaning Bueno was a master stroke from Gary O’Neil
Given that Ait-Nouri has become one of the Premier League’s best left-backs, paving his way to Manchester City, it’s remarkable to consider that it wasn’t long ago that Bueno was ahead of the Algerian.
Lopetegui was a firm believer in the youngster, just as Gary O’Neil was, but in a different way, as the former manager sanctioned his loan spell to Feyenoord.
Many disagreed with the decision to loan Bueno, but it’s now become clear that O’Neil’s call was pivotal, leading the Spaniard to develop to even greater heights.
Just as Lopetegui anticipated, Bueno has continued to improve, making for an exciting season ahead for the 22-year-old as he returns to Wolves under Pereira.