Mario Lemina has been named the new Wolves captain ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
With the Old Gold currently in Miami on tour, O’Neil confirmed the midfielder will take the armband, having led the team since Maximilan Kilman’s departure and captained the side during the opening two pre-season matches this summer.
Signed in the January of 2023, Lemina’s impact at Wolves has been huge. Instantly cementing himself as a first-team regular under Julen Lopetegui, the Gabon international played an influential role in retaining the club’s Premier League status the following spring.
That momentum then continued during his first full season at Molineux, then under O’Neil. A leader within the group, Lemina forged a formidable partnership with Joao Gomes in midfield, as the Old Gold enjoyed an impressive campaign in the top tier.
Five goals and consistent showings in the midfield were appreciated by those on the terraces enough for Lemina to be voted Player of the Season by Wolves supporters.
Often on the move earlier in his career, but Lemina has made Molineux his home, playing more league games and scoring more goals for Wolves than any other club, despite the short timeframe of his Old Gold spell so far.
Head coach Gary O’Neil said: “Mario was a standout choice for me. We have some real good leaders in the group, and I’ll definitely lean on all of them throughout the season, but I think for Mario it’s really good timing for him. He has big respect from the players, around all the different groups, and drives standards.
“We had a little chat to check his thinking and he was really pleased and excited, and he’s done it really well since he’s taken over the last few weeks. I thought it would help him make the next step from being an established player to a leader, and the early signs have been really positive – he’s been excellent so far.
“He’s very good at portraying the messages that we want and what the group needs. I’m excited to see what we can do, what Mario can do, and how the players can perform this year with Mario as their captain.
“He’ll help us firstly as staff, he’ll take care of a lot of stuff within the group without it coming to us, and I think I can help him with his next step. Hopefully he can improve his performance levels again because he knows he’s hugely respected and he’s being looked at as a leader all the time. It’s really exciting and he’s made a really good start.”
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