WOLVES fans believe they have gotten a Superman in midfield after spending a club-record £42.2m for Matheus Nunes.
They could be right as Bruno Lage revealed that the Rio-born Portuguese star will wear the SAME PANTS for the next few weeks.
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Matheus Nunes links up with his Wolves team-mates after his £42.2m transferCredit: Getty
But hopefully not on the outside of his shorts!
Nunes was regarded as one of the best young talents in Europe at Sporting Lisbon.
When asked how he was settling in, Wolves boss Lage laughed: “He just got here two days ago and yesterday he asked, ‘Can I have a couple of days to go home and get my clothes, I don’t have any clothes?’ nothing to wear?’
“I said ‘no, you have to wear the same underwear for three or four weeks, we don’t have three or four days!’
“This is the kind of thing you have to adapt to.
He is living in a hotel. He doesn’t have a car yet. Even when he does, he has to learn to drive on the other side.
“The most important thing is that he feels comfortable right now because we bought him for the long term and we can’t put him under too much pressure.”
Nunes will not start for Tottenham at today’s midday kick-off and Lage added: “If he comes off the bench to play 15 minutes, I don’t expect him to score three goals.
“I want him to start with confidence, get to know his team and then play at the level he achieved at Sporting.”
Whether the 23-year-old Nunes decides to wear his boxer shorts over his shorts at Spurs or fall in line with his new teammates remains to be seen.
But when Pep Guardiola says “Matheus Nunes is one of the best players in the world today”, you can get away with it.
The 23-year-old who left Brazil for Portugal with her mother Catia when she was 13 was still sweating, and it was only a few years since she started at 5am in her little bakery.
But things changed when Manchester City thrashed Sporting 5-0 in a Champions League qualifier last February and City boss Guardiola gave Nunes his stellar stamp of approval.
Lage said: “At the time I was upset with Pep. Because when Pep Guardiola makes a statement like that, the value of the player goes up and I have to pay £10m more!”
Nunes could have gone to City but they opted for Kalvin Phillips from Leeds.
Similarly, Spurs took a look but reasoned that Brighton’s Yves Bissouma was ready for the Prem.
So Wolves got Nunes, who was also linked with Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle, Everton and West Ham.
Lage added: “It’s not always about the money or the club. It’s about the project.
“I was able to see the type of player he is when he played against Benfica and Man City.
“We felt we had an opportunity to sign him and I pushed everyone to bring him here.
“It’s time to give a big credit to our president Jeff Shi, who is doing a fantastic job of bringing this level of player.
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Matheus Nunes has no clothes to wear after his quick move to EnglandCredit: Getty
“The fans are excited and their mood has changed.”
There is a lot to get excited about. At 6ft tall, Nunes towers over his Portugal teammates Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho and adds another dimension to the Wolves midfield.
As they shoot the ball up and down the field, Nunes loves to dribble and has the ability to turn defense into offense with fast runs.
An accomplished box-to-box midfielder who thrives on the battlefield, he had more touches last season than any of his Sporting teammates and won the most duels.
Defensively solid, Nunes is capable of making killer passes and has the ability to open defensive blocks from Prem, but he will run miles in support of his strikers.
In short, he is a master of all midfield arts.
And if he proves his worth in England, Wolves could easily double their money on a player who cost Sporting a bargain £500,000 when they signed him from Estoril in 2018-19.
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There have been comparisons to Xavi and Andres Iniesta, as Portugal won a tug-of-war to beat Brazil and showcase their talent on the international stage.
Nunes spent a week on trial in Leicester in 2016 after it emerged on video that he was playing for Ericeirense, his local team.
It slipped through his fingers at about the same time the Foxes got their hands on the Premier League trophy.
Lille, Braga and Benfica also took a look before continuing.
In the end, Estoril gave him a chance and, before long, Sporting moved on. He played a part in Lisbon’s title success in 2021 before really coming back last season.
Now is the Premier League and the time to fly.
Source: www.thesun.co.uk