On Tuesday, Gary O’Neil may have been delivering a subtle message to Wolves’ £80,000-a-week star.
Wolves were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, losing 3-2 to Ipswich Town of the Championship.
Wanderers surrendered at Portman Road after going up 2-0 in the first 15 minutes.
Hwang Hee-chan maintained his excellent form by scoring a spectacular goal with his left foot.
Toti Gomes extended the lead after pouncing on a loose ball in the corner.
But Ipswich rallied, with Jack Taylor scoring shortly before the hour mark.
Many Wolves fans are displeased with the outcome. This was a chance for Wolves to win again before a major game against Manchester City in the Premier League.
It was quite upsetting to see them throw it away.
O’Neil made some unusual decisions during the game, one of which felt particularly significant…
It was really interesting to see Gary O’Neil put Nathan Fraser on before Fabio Silva.
O’Neil put Sasa Kalajdzic on the field against the Tractor Boys.
The Austrian assisted Hwang’s goal but didn’t do much as the lone striker.
After Ipswich’s third goal, he was substituted around the hour mark, and it was interesting to see youthful Nathan Fraser replace him.
Fraser, 18, is Wolves’ fourth-choice striker after the club failed to sign Che Adams or Boulaye Dia before the transfer deadline.
It was interesting that O’Neil did not go straight to Fabio Silva, instead bringing on Matheus Cunha at 75 minutes.
Many anticipated Silva to start against Ipswich after scoring in the previous round against Blackpool.
But it was Fraser who received the first nod.
Do you have any work for Silva?
Silva played no minutes against Luton Town last weekend.
As a result, he would have been incredibly fresh.
The fact that O’Neil turned to Fraser before him suggests that the manager was conveying a message to the player.
Fraser also scored in the previous round against Blackpool.
But he’s only 18 years old, while Silva is 21 years old.
Did O’Neil truly believe Fraser was more likely to score for Wolves than Silva?
Or was O’Neil implying to Silva, who earns £80,000 per week, that he needs to work a little more right now?
It will be intriguing to see how involved the Portuguese is against Manchester City this weekend.
