Gary O’Neil might alleviate the concerns stemming from Pedro Neto’s injury by making an unexpected change to his team. Wolverhampton Wanderers have been gradually improving under Gary O’Neil’s leadership, following a challenging summer marked by financial fair play issues and the sudden departure of Julen Lopetegui just five days before the 2023/24 Premier League season started.
Ten games into the season, O’Neil is finally getting the best out of his team, which currently sits in 12th place in the league, having scored 13 goals—just 18 goals shy of their total from the previous season, demonstrating their progress under the new manager.
However, there have been setbacks for the club, with star player Pedro Neto suffering a hamstring injury in their recent 2-2 draw with Newcastle United. Neto had been in excellent form this season, leading the Premier League in assists with seven and contributing eight goals in ten league appearances.
Pedro Neto leaves the field on a stretcher after pulling up with what looks like a hamstring injury. pic.twitter.com/3ra5FLW1C2
— Steve Kay (@stevek9KS1TV) October 28, 2023
After the injury, O’Neil expressed optimism about Neto’s condition, drawing from the experience of another player, Joe Hodge, who also had a hamstring injury but recovered relatively quickly. Nevertheless, O’Neil must now explore alternative options to fill the void left by Neto’s absence.
Great footwork from Jeanricner Bellegarde! 🤩
The Frenchman tops off a phenomenal performance with an assist and a goal to give Patrick Vieira's side a 2-0 win! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/00DSWnVCsf
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 27, 2023
One potential replacement O’Neil mentioned is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, a deadline day signing. Bellegarde had an impressive start to the Ligue 1 season with Strasbourg, scoring two goals and providing two assists in just three appearances. He was praised as “incredibly direct” and demonstrated his talents, indicating that he could bring a similar dynamism to the wide channels that Neto had.
Bellegarde’s versatility and statistics from his time in France further support the idea that he could excel as a wide forward. His ability to make successful dribbles (2.7 per game) even exceeded that of Kylian Mbappe (2.2 per game) in Ligue 1.
O’Neil might consider leveraging Bellegarde’s direct style and potential to maintain the team’s momentum without their star forward, Neto, in the lineup.