MY ACCOUNT
Wolves manager Bruno Lage handed hot prospect Luke Cundle his first Premier League start in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Tottenham.
Cundle gave an assured performance alongside Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker at the heart of the visitors’ midfield, repaying the faith placed in him.
The youngster has been thrown into the mix as Lage plots the next step in the quest for European qualification and could keep his starting place for Sunday’s game against Leicester.
Clearly backed by his manager, we take a look at Cundle’s burgeoning reputation and how he can help the Molineux club chase the coveted top-four spot.
Teenage kicks
Warrington-born Cundle earned his stripes in the Wolves academy before making the senior squad’s trip to China for a pre-season tour in the summer of 2019.
He had his first taste of first-team action in September of the same year, coming off the bench to feature in a Carabao Cup win against Reading.
It was not until this campaign that he became a more familiar face around the first-team however, gaining minutes in domestic cup wins against Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United before a substitute appearance in the league against Southampton last month.
Sunday was Cundle’s first opportunity to show his skills from the start however and he grasped his opportunity with both hands.
Earning his Spurs
In Cundle’s first Premier League encounter, Wolves were looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal by putting in an improved performance at Tottenham.
With midfield maestro Joao Moutinho injured, Cundle stepped into big shoes but showed no signs of being out of his depth.
Cundle and his team-mates were not daunted by the challenge of facing a fellow European hopeful, showing no remorse as they raced into an early 2-0 lead.
The 19-year-old impressed throughout, working well with Neves and Dendoncker before being substituted after 84 minutes.
The return fixture against Arsenal and a trip to West Ham are still to come before the end of the month and the engine room operator will hope he has done enough to stayi in Lage’s plans for the rest of the season.
Portuguese praise
Lage discussed Cundle’s selection and performance in a glowing post-match analysis.
The Molineux boss said: “I decided when my scout gave me the information about Tottenham and the way they play and we needed to play with one more midfielder.
“Luke is playing in that position, like Joao [Moutinho].
“He’s done very well since the beginning of the season, training hard every time. Maybe it could have come earlier but it didn’t and he’s come at the right moment now.
“It’s good for him but he needs to continue to work. He’s young, only 19, and we know we have a good talent.
“We know we have a good kid with character on our hands and it now depends on him and the way he works every day.”
The next step
Cundle was humble in his assessment of his own performance but is eager to continue to earn Premier League experience.
He said: “It was amazing. Playing out there today was a great feeling. To get the three points with a good performance was incredible.
“Individually, I thought I struggled the first half hour a bit. I’d never played to that speed or tempo before. But as the game went on, I thought I grew into it and thought I did OK in the end.
“It helped to get the two goals early in the game, something to hold on to. The lads at the back defended excellently and I thought we deserved three points.
“I’ve got to thank the gaffer and his staff for trusting in me. Hopefully, I can get more chances like this.”
With Moutinho’s calf injury potentially offering Cundle a second start next weekend, he may be granted another chance to impress.
Should Lage’s men complete their mission for the season and earn a place in European competition next term, the extra workload will certainly give more games for squad players such as Cundle to feature.
If any opportunities to come his way, the Wolves man is ready to pounce.
