Journalist Luke Hatfield has praised Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves for his performance against Everton on Monday night.
The Midlands club picked up their fifth win in their last seven top-flight games as they edged past the Toffees 2-1 at Molineux.
What were Neves' stats against Everton?
It has been a difficult period for Neves over the past month or so, as he was left out of Wolves' starting line-up against Southampton in late September, and was then dropped again for the side's trip to Leeds in October.
However, he seemed to put those setbacks behind him against Everton. The 24-year-old delivered a complete performance on his return to the starting XI, managing two shots, two interceptions and finishing with a pass completion rate of 91.1% (via WhoScored).
Goals for Max Kilman and Raul Jimenez handed Wolves all three points, who have hit top form with Bruno Lage in the dugout in recent weeks.
What did Hatfield make of Neves' display?
Hatfield felt that Neves was back to his best on Monday, after acknowledging that he has been left underwhelmed by the 25-cap international on the whole this season.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “I’ve been one man who’s been very critical of Ruben Neves recently, but he was fantastic. It was like seeing the Ruben Neves of old, wasn’t it?
“He was running the show from deep midfield and wasn’t scared to get forward. He was playing passes into players to unlock that Everton backline, and by all accounts, it was a fantastic showing from him.”
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Has Neves cemented his place in Wolves' starting XI again?
Under Nuno Espirito Santo, Neves seemed to be one of the first names on the teamsheet, as he featured in 109 Premier League matches in his first three seasons in the top-flight.
However, Lage does not appear to be as convinced by him, and has not been afraid to leave Neves out of his side at times.
Yet displays like the one he produced against Everton can't be ignored. Neves was in eye-catching form, causing Rafael Benitez's men problems in the final third, while also mopping up with minimal fuss in front of the back three.
If he can keep performing at that level, he has to be a part of Wolves' best XI moving forwards.
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