Having made his senior debut for the club back in 2016, the midfielder has spent the past five seasons away from Molineux on various loan spells across Europe, but the Republic of Ireland international has made six appearances in eight pre-season outings under Bruno Lage this summer.
The 24-year-old academy graduate is determined to keep giving ‘100 per cent’ in a bid to impress the head coach enough to earn a permanent spot in the Wolves squad come the first Premier League game of the season against Leeds United this weekend.
On a positive pre-season back at Wolves
“I’m buzzing. It’s special to be back here after such a long period away from the club. There were times when I’d been on loans and come back and thought that maybe I might leave, or I didn’t know if I was staying or going out on loan, so just to have that chance again, and a chance in to get in front of the manager is a massive honour.
“I’ll just keep giving 100 per cent every day and keep trying to impress him. The communication he has with you is the trust he puts in you, is by giving you game time. I’ve taken that on and I'm just trying to impress him and with the minutes I do get I’m taking them as well as I can.
I’m trying to get the fitness side as well, because that’s important, but I’m trying to have more of an affect on these games.”
On learning from senior players
“It’s unbelievable. You try to learn off these players every day, players like Joao [Moutinho] and Ruben [Neves], they give you a lot of advice in training, and it’s just important you take that on.
“Even when they’re not giving you advice, just watching them is enough sometimes, just watching the little things that they do and try to pick up on it.
“It’s nice to be back and be around those players again. I used to be around them five, six years ago, however long ago it was, so it’s nice to be back around a few familiar faces and just try to learn as much as I can during this short period of time.”
On returning after his most successful season on loan
“In my previous loans before [St Mirren], I’d gone and done well at clubs, and played a lot of games which is what I’d wanted, but not affected games enough. I didn’t get enough goals and assists, but I think I’ve learned over the past few years that that’s what matters.
“I’ve learned that when going out on loan and feeling like I’ve done well, but maybe not getting the credit that I deserved, and the clubs that I’m at aren’t on telly every week so people aren’t watching the performances. I felt like last season, everything just clicked a little bit, my manager trusted me, my teammates trusted me, and I think I got two goals quite early on and then kicked on from there.
“It gives me massive confidence to come back here off the back of my best season so far numbers-wise. I’m just trying to impress and I want to kick on from that. Whether it’s staying here and trying to get minutes and work my way in, or whether it’s going on loan and playing every week again. Whatever happens I’ll just take it as it comes.”
Smiling and Spain bound.
— Wolves Academy (@WolvesAcademy) July 12, 2022
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On using loans to develop
“The club are really good in that sense, in terms of managing the loan players. I’m in contact with the physios all the time and sports science in terms of gym programmes and fitness, and just having that weekly contact reminds you that you’re still a Wolves player.
“For players like me, it’s not really common for you to go on loan four or five seasons in a row, so I think it’s nice to have that regular communication and know that they’re watching games. Matt Jackson [strategic player marketing manager] is in touch a lot, letting us know he’s coming up and watching games or watching games on the telly.
“I think that’s the biggest thing, having that regular commination with the club and always keeping in the back of your mind that I am a Wolves player and no matter what, I do want to break into this first-team and I’ll take whatever route I can to get there.”
On his Wolves future
“At the moment, I’m just taking each day as it comes. There are conversations to be had with the club and see where my future is going forwards, but I’m just happy to have the chance.
“What used to maybe get to me a little bit was when I came back from loans, feeling like I’d done well, and not getting that opportunity. Where I feel like now, I’ve got that opportunity.
“If the gaffer chooses to send me out on loan again or I’m not quite right for him, I can take that because I’ve had the chance to get in front of him, but I want to stay at the football club, there’s not a doubt about that.”
