Express & Star

Nuno looking for more from Ruben Neves

Nuno Espirito Santo has heaped praise on Ruben Neves but insists the midfielder has room to improve – particularly with his free-kicks.

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The 24-year-old has netted several impressive long-range goals in his four years at Molineux but has found his free-kicks wide of the mark for some time now.

Even in the 2-1 win over Brighton, Neves sent a set piece high and wide, and when asked if he has areas to improve, Nuno highlighted that aspect.

He said: “Definitely – not only Ruben but all the players.

“Even the senior and more experienced players, there is always something we can take and kick on.

“If you look at Ruben he has a lot of things he can improve on his game.

“Recently he had a lot of free-kicks and has not put the ball on the goal or even tested the goalkeeper.

“We all realise how good he is in that aspect, how many goals he scored from free-kicks before. It’s been a while since he put in the ball in the right spot isn’t it?

“Of course he’s a good player but this is the way we look at things. It’s not over, players always have aspects to improve.”

Despite calling on him to make adjustments, Nuno was also keen to praise the Portuguese midfielder, who is a mainstay in the Wolves team.

He added: “What I see is a player that is very important for us. He is a fantastic player. He’s a player that is one of the captains of the team. He’s been at Wolves for four seasons now. A lot of that he has sustained his level of performance and become a better player than when he arrived very young.

“Playing in the Championship was very different to his own reality. This is what I see in Ruben. Now he is one of the senior players in the squad who has responsibilities and he is able and capable to do much better than he did before. The talent, determination and work-ethic is there.”