There was a period during Nuno Espirito Santo’s final season in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers where Joao Moutinho became dispensable. There’s an argument to suggest Moutinho has never been more important to Wolves, and he’s definitely playing the best football of his Molineux career. That isn’t to say Wolves should forget about signing a new midfielder. They definitely need one and Lage knows it – hopefully the board does too. Whether that’s something Moutinho wants will be made clear in time, but he’s already showing signs that he’s a manager-in-the-making. Moutinho has told Lage that he wants to become a manager and the Wolves head coach has given the midfielder freedom to ‘coach’ his younger teammates.
Bruno Lage said: “Last time I spoke with him (about his plans) he wanted to be a manager. I think he has five more years to play, then he can be a manager. What I want to say, from my point of view, is that I’m very happy with him. The personality, the way he works, the way he wants to be in training, even the way he talks with the other guys to help them to understand better the way we play.”
Leonel Pontes, who coached Moutinho for numerous years earlier in his career and maintains contact with the Wolves man, predicted his protégé’s transition to the touchline during an interview two years ago.
