New-boy Bonatini quick to settle.
FROM Brazil, via Portugal and Saudi Arabia, to Wolverhampton is a long and bizarre journey.
Leo Bonatini only completed the trip on Monday but still got manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s era at Wolves off to a successful start.
The newWolves boss, known as Nuno, knew about Brazilian Bonatini from his Portuguese days and has taken a bit of a gamble bringing him from Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia on a season’s loan.
Bonatini, 23, is so short of match practice that Nuno could only give him less than an hour’s playing time, but he took a gift and Wolves have lift-off to the season .
Bonatini should thank Boro defender Daniel Ayala for his 33rd minute goal. You need a bit of help on your home debut and Ayala was generous to a fault.
The game was dull, no one risking anything, people still getting to know each other, when Ayala tried a pass from just outside his penalty area.
No pressure, no danger, and what did Ayala do? He played the ball straight to Bonatini.
This story is from the August 06, 2017 edition of The Football League Paper.
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This story is from the August 06, 2017 edition of The Football League Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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