Marshall Munetsi had an eventful Premier League debut in Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
There aren’t many more debuts as difficult as facing Liverpool at Anfield, giving Munetsi a sizeable task on his first Premier League appearance.
The January deadline day signing made his Wolves debut in the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers, followed by his Premier League debut at Anfield as he came on as a half-time substitute.
After Munetsi impressed against Blackburn, Vitor Pereira deemed it necessary to call the Zimbabwean into action early at Anfield, with many talking points coming from the player’s debut.
Micah Richards makes Premier League debut claim about Marshall Munetsi
Pereira was right to substitute Goncalo Guedes and Pablo Sarabia, who were far from impressive against Liverpool.
The Wolves manager was left mildly red-faced as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde came on and made a difference, making many question why the Frenchman was left out in the first place.
As well as Bellegarde, Munetsi made a positive impact on proceedings, as the substitutes so nearly combined for a goal shortly after being introduced.
While the deadline day signing impressed with the energy he brought to the game, pundit Micah Richards spotted something he described as ‘weird’ about the 28-year-old.
“It’s weird because Munetsi sort of played as a number nine, a false nine,” Richards said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“He was dropping in and then he was the furthest man forward. He’s actually a defensive midfielder but the manager really rates him. They had more energy in that second half.”
Pereira has hinted about Munetsi being a goal threat for Wolves, with it now abundantly clear that the boss considers the Zimbabwean to be an attacking presence to support in midfield.
Premier League debut shows that Munetsi has many strings to his bow
Wolves agreed a £17m deal to sign Munetsi from Stade Reims and the early verdict suggests that the fee could prove to be a bargain.
The 28-year-old’s experience and energy have already provided some exciting moments in the opening stages of his career in England.
Munetsi had a chance to score at Anfield and while Alisson made himself big to put the Wolves midfielder off, the fact that the chance arose shows promise.
It will be interesting to see how Pereira lines up in the future with Munetsi, given how impactful the January signing was against Liverpool.
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