Wolves face the daunting task of travelling to Liverpool for the final game of their Premier League campaign.
Gary O’Neil takes his fatigued Wolves side to Anfield aiming to spoil Jurgen Klopp’s party.
Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has given the Old Gold zero chance of pulling off an upset and that is a reasonable prediction given the visitors have won just one of their last nine games.
It’s been an incredibly difficult period for O’Neil’s men, who have battled through numerous injuries and controversial VAR decisions, resulting in them falling to 13th in the table after once looking like European contenders.
Only a few of O’Neil’s first-team stars can hold their head high in recent weeks, having suffered defeats against Manchester City and Crystal Palace, which is why he’ll be tempted to unleash some of his young talents.
With that in mind, here are three Wolves academy players who could feature against Liverpool…
Enso Gonzalez
Wolves signed promising wideman Enso Gonzalez in the summer of 2023 from Paraguayan side Libertad.
Capable of playing on either wing or behind the striker, the 19-year-old has earned plaudits for his trickery and low sense of gravity when on the ball, as well as his defensive duties moving the opposite way.
The Paraguayan made his Premier League debut last time out, coming off the bench for a minute in a 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace.
O’Neil could hand the jet-heeled winger further minutes against Liverpool. He’s unlikely to start him from the off but an appearance – if the game is beyond their reach – shouldn’t be out of the question.
After all, this is the best time for Wolves to unleash their young talents as there is nothing to play for.
Noha Lemina
If Noha Lemina is deemed fit for the squad against Liverpool, O’Neil could hand him his Premier League debut.
Wolves captured Lemina – brother of Mario – from PSG in the January transfer window. The talented teenager drew comparisons to Kylian Mbappe due to his ‘incredible’ speed and low centre of gravity to glide past defenders.
Predominantly a left-sided player, but also adept at leading the line, the 2005-born talent has impressed during two appearances in the Wolves under-21s and could become the “complete player”, according to one of his former managers, if he is coached well.
Many Wanderers supporters are excited to see Lemina in the flesh and although a start against Liverpool is off the cards, a substitute appearance certainly isn’t.
Wesley Okoduwa
Wesley Okoduwa made the headlines after being named on the bench against Newcastle United.
The 2008-born right-back – who only just turned 16 this month – has since featured in matchday squads against Arsenal, Bournemouth, Luton Town and Manchester City.
For his age, what the youngster has achieved is incredible and the icing on the cake would be an appearance at Anfield on Sunday.
In the defeat against Arsenal last month, O’Neil claimed he was ‘disappointed’ that the teenager didn’t have a chance to come on and hinted at involving him on the pitch very soon.
That involvement for Okoduwa could come from the bench against Liverpool as he aims to become the youngest player to play for Wolves in the club’s history.