Pedro Neto has nine assists in the Premier League this season, particularly impressive given that he missed two months with a hamstring injury. But those bald statistics do not tell the full story about his impact within this Wolves team.

Against Liverpool, he darted past three men to set up the opening goal. At home to Aston Villa, he picked up the ball near the touchline just inside their half. There was the solo run at Bournemouth. In the win over Tottenham, he started that run inside his own half.

He did the same for the first goal against Manchester City. That is not included among the nine assists because his cross was turned into the net by Ruben Dias. At Chelsea, only one of the two goals he set up goes down as an assist because the shot was deflected in.

Beyond the Premier League, he scored in the FA Cup win over Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion having won the extra-time penalty to see off Brentford in the previous round. The point is that Neto is flying, sparking talk of a big move in the summer.

There was the knee injury at Fulham that robbed him of 10 months of football. He then missed five months of last season with an ankle problem. Without those injuries, he would probably have had his move already. But finding his rhythm has taken time.

That can be an issue for any player but Neto, in particular, struggled to be effective when not fully fit and flowing. He did not score a goal in 18 Premier League appearances last season and looked a shadow of his former self. Lopetegui explained the problem.

Stream the Premier League on Sky Sports with NOW

"He has been out for a lot of months, and it is not easy when you are talking about this kind of player. One thing is to be fit and start working, another thing is to be 100 per cent in your performance, because this kind of player lives for one against one and his pace."

The benefits of pre-season were immediately obvious this time around. But Neto's improvement is tactical as well as physical. Gary O'Neil has embraced a fast-paced game on the counter-attack and it is clear that this suits the characteristics of his squad.

Neto has had 10 shots from fast breaks this season, more than anyone else. The fact that team-mate Matheus Cunha is next on the list shows that this is by design. Wolves position their runners to play on the transition and focus on getting that first pass right.

Speaking to O'Neil earlier this season, this principle of playing the first pass forward after winning the ball back was something that he mentioned. "We do a lot of work on it. The first thought when we win the ball back is can we score. That is always the first thought."_