Express & Star

Wolves' player of the season so far – the contenders

With 19 games gone we're at the halfway point in the Premier League season.

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Clockwise from top left; Rui Patricio, Matt Doherty, Raul Jimenez and Ryan Bennett

It's been an excellent first half for Wolves who sit 10th in the table going into tomorrow's game against Spurs.

To that end, who have been the standout stars for Nuno Espirito Santo's team? We take a look at some early player of the season contenders.

Raul Jimenez

The 27-year-old has adapted to English football with ease, contributing five goals and five assists.

He's led the line with aplomb, often with not enough support around him. He's been strong, powerful, unselfish and a vital cog in Wolves' attack.

Highlight: His performance at Manchester United was excellent but netting the winner against Burnley stands out.

Joao Moutinho

The Portuguese maestro has added class, experience and guile to Wolves' midfield.

Like Jimenez, he's taken to the Premier League like the proverbial duck.

Began the campaign with a number of dominant performances that had supporters purring – and also finding it hard to believe that a player of such quality has moved to Molineux.

Suffered a bit of a dip in November but looked back to his best at Craven Cottage the other day.

Highlight: He was exceptional against both Manchester clubs and scored a superb equaliser at Old Trafford.

Ryan Bennett

Out of the team in pre-season but has surpassed all expectations to put in a string of consistent displays at the back.

Rarely caught out of position, does the simple things well and has been far better on the ball than a lot give him credit for.

Aged 28, his Premier League experience (the only member of the first-team to have any) has proved invaluable.

Highlight: Sprinting faster than Traore on Usain Bolt's shoulders to tackle Willian as he ran through on goal for Chelsea. Wolves were losing 1-0 at the time and would of course win 2-1.

Matt Doherty

The man who's been with Wolves since the League One days has impressed all and sundry with his ownership of Wolves' right flank.

Defensively sound and increasingly potent in attack, Doherty suffered a nightmare in the second week of the season at Leicester (missing a sitter and scoring an own goal) but showed his character to respond with what was arguably the best form of his career in the following couple of months.

The fact he's made a few 'Premier League teams of the season so far' shows you what an impact he's made. Brilliant.

Highlight: Scored a beauty at Palace but for drama you can't beat his last-gasp winner at Newcastle when he sprinted half the length of the field in the 94th minute.

Best of the rest

Conor Coady has made the step up to the top flight and remains the heartbeat of this Wolves team.

Still spraying those 40-yard passes for fun and covering at the back, as he did at Fulham to earn Wolves a point with a last-ditch slide on the line.

Alongside him Willy Boly has put in some classy performances after a tough first few weeks.

And behind them Rui Patricio has produced some truly world class saves (the top-corner finger-tip to deny Raheem Sterling being one), although a few errors have creeped in of late.

Jonny Castro Otto also deserves a mention for his defensive solidity on that left flank. Arguably the best tackler at the club.

Tim's choice: It's a very close call between Jimenez and Doherty....the Irishman just about gets it so far for me.

So what do you think? Who's stood out so far? Let us know in the comments section below.