Lage can mimic Sir Alex with Wolves' £14m sensation who sent van Dijk "for a hot dog" - opinion

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ proposed signing of RB Leipzig loanee, Hwang Hee-chan will become permanent in the summer.

That is according to a report from Birmingham Mail, who have relayed Lage’s verdict on Hwang ahead of the South Korean’s permanent move to Molineux in July.

The 26-year-old joined Lage’s side last summer and it was announced in January that the club would indeed exercise their option to buy, consequently activating the £14m clause in his contract that would see him become an official Wolves player on July 1st.

Lage, by his own admission, has revealed that he will take inspiration from Manchester United icon Sir Alex Ferguson when he oversees Wolves’ rebuild this summer.

As per Birmingham Mail, he said: “I remember maybe 10 years ago, when I read Sir Alex Ferguson’s book, he said something like that. ‘I love my players as sons, but when they drop their performance I am the first guy to go there, shake their hands, it’s time to move, and we need to replace him to continue.’

“I want that pressure. When the players are there you give him respect and pay the salary, so when they don’t give the same things you need to find solutions. That’s why he was in that position for 20 years and he won titles every time. He did that with a lot of players.”

With the shared South Korean nationality, esteemed work rate and selflessness for the team in the form of versatility, the comparison between Ji-Sung Park and Hwang writes itself.

It’s of course emphasised further by Lage’s inspiration from Ferguson, who notoriously used Park as a key utility tool in United’s most successful spell.

The Wolves boss has already been waxing lyrical over Hwang as a player, saying this on the eve of the final Premier League game of the season: