Lage can finally axe "rubbish" Wolves liability by unleashing the "next Phil Foden" - opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers under-23 manager Jamie Collins has again heaped praise on Old Gold academy star Luke Cundle.

The 20-year-old found the net twice as the club’s under-23s sealed a Premier League Cup win over Middlesbrough on Wednesday night.

Speaking to Wolves TV, Collins gave Cundle all the plaudits after his match-winning performance, saying: “I thought he was excellent tonight, he’s got his goals, but he was missing some as well, so I thought he could’ve got even more goals and I’ll be challenging him to do that.”

The under-23 boss hailed the starlet’s attitude for wanting to play for the reserves despite being called up to the first-team, revealing: “He texts me to ask if he can play and you don’t get that often with players who go up to the first-team.

“They’re not desperate to play for the under-23’s, but he just wants to play football. We could get a ball out now and have a five-a-side on the car park and he’d want a game, and when you’re a coach, you love players who are like that because they love the game.”

With Portuguese veteran Joao Moutinho – who hsa been slammed for some “rubbish” performances by Tim Spiers – linked with a move away from the Molineux, Bruno Lage may well be looking for an adequate replacement in the middle of the park.

Despite making most of his appearances in Premier League 2 as a defensive midfielder for Wolves, Cundle has earned comparisons to Manchester City and England star Phil Foden.

The 20-year-old’s versatility is just one of the reasons that he has earned this comparison, with the Wolves youth product capable of operating as a central midfielder and even as a false nine, having occupied the role in a reserves game against Newcastle United.

Speaking after that match in