Wolves forward Hee-chan Hwang was not as effective against Aston Villa on Saturday due to the absence of Raul Jimenez, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.
Hwang has started well at Molineux since arriving on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig, but he was kept relatively quiet by Villa.
How did Hwang perform against Villa?
Having scored three goals in his first four league appearances going into the weekend's derby, it is fair to assume that Hwang would have been high on confidence.
However, Jimenez, who is valued at £25.2m by Transfermarkt, was only able to make the bench after his international exertions, and Hwang struggled without him.
As per WhoScored, the 41-cap international failed to register a single shot on target, as he received a match rating of just 5.72 - the lowest mark in the Wolves team.
He was eventually replaced by Jimenez himself in the 88th minute, as Bruno Lage's men pulled off a late comeback, overturning a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.
What did Hatfield say about Hwang?
Hwang feels one of the key reasons that Hwang delivered a below-par performance against Villa was due to him not being able to link up with Jimenez.
Speaking about Hwang, he told GIVEMESPORT: “Ultimately, against Villa, I don’t think he really shone in the respect which many people hoped for him to from a Wolves perspective.
“I do think that he was hurt a little bit by not having Jimenez with him. I think Hwang’s a top player who loves getting onto the end of things, and Jimenez is the type of player who creates things to get on the end of.”
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Will Hwang and Jimenez start together against Leeds?
Wolves picked up their third straight top-flight win last weekend at Villa, so it could be argued that Lage shouldn't change a winning line-up.
Still, it should be pointed out that Wolves actually underwhelmed for large parts of that game, and they needed a stirring comeback in the final 10 minutes to rescue all three points.
Therefore, it would be a wise move for Lage to consider making changes when his side face Leeds on Saturday, and Jimenez should certainly come back into the team to play alongside Hwang.
The duo caused Newcastle all sorts of problems before the international break, linking up for both of Wolves' goals that day, and if they can perform at that level again, they should give Marcelo Bielsa's side plenty to think about as well.
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