Bruno Lage sends clear message to Daniel Podence amid Liverpool snub

Bruno Lage has challenged Daniel Podence to increase his numbers to take his game to the next level.

Portuguese attacker Podence was Wolverhampton Wanderers’ stand-out attacker last season, but he only recorded two goals and three assists in the Premier League. He wasn’t helped by injuries, with a six-week absence at the end of the campaign resulting in Podence making just 26 Premier League appearances.

Podence grabbed another three goals in cup competitions, as well as an assist in the 3-0 FA Cup win over Sheffield United, taking his tally to five goals and four assists across all competitions. Only Raul Jimenez, with six goals and four assists, managed more goal contributions for Wolves in 2021/22.

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But even when he was fit, Podence wasn’t always a guaranteed starter for Lage in his first season in charge. He only started 15 Premier League games, with Hwang Hee-chan (20) and Francisco Trincao (16) selected more regularly than him.

Indeed, when Pedro Neto suffered an injury against Liverpool on Sunday, Lage opted to replace him with Hwang instead of Podence. Trincao was later brought off the bench ahead of the former Olympiakos winger too.

Speaking about Podence before that game at Anfield, Lage said: “He has to improve a little bit. The game I have in my head is not just mine, it can become ours. It was a little bit hard for him to find the right place to start, but after that he became a really important player for us in the way he assists, and the way he scores goals.

“Now to go to the next level - and I think he wants to go to the next level because he has big ambition - he must put numbers. Numbers is more goals and more assists.