Express & Star

One man was key to getting the best out of Wolves' Nelson Semedo

Nelson Semedo believes Gary O’Neil played a big role in his ‘best season’ at Wolves.

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The right-wing-back had a tremendously consistent campaign in a gold and black shirt as he helped make O’Neil’s first season in charge a success.

Semedo, who says it was his best season for the club, has credited the head coach’s approach in helping him improve.

He said: “In general, I think it was a good season. We did really well, we’ve been fighting for the European places until the end of the season, so I think it was a good season for us.

“For me, personally, I think it was my best season here since I arrived. But the team helped me a lot as well, because all of the team were doing well – not just one or two players – all of the players, the subs that came on were doing well as well.

“The coach has helped a lot and he also helped me to be at my best.

“It’s always good to receive good feedback from the coach, and it gives you the confidence and it gives you a boost as a player. He’s been really good at that, which is why I think everybody has done really well.

“It’s little things and it’s all in the details. I had more confidence, so everything I did, I did it better than what I did in the other seasons.”

Semedo also stayed fit for the vast majority of the season, which helped his consistency, and the defender was pleased with his physical and mental condition throughout the campaign.

“I missed one game because of a yellow card suspension and then I missed the one against Arsenal because I was injured, so I felt really well this season – I felt really well physically and mentally because we were doing a good season,” Semedo said.

“It was a fun season for me. I played in a lot of positions – I played at right-back, I played at centre-back, I played wing-back, and even centre midfield one time – but everybody did a bit of everything.”

After a short break, Semedo will now prepare to join up with the Portugal squad ahead of the upcoming Euros.

He will be joined by Wolves team-mates Jose Sa and Pedro Neto, who have also received a call-up, while Toti Gomes was left out.

Portugal are not one of the favourites to win the competition but still arrive with a squad full of quality, and Semedo insists they are more than capable of winning it.

“I’d been working hard to be selected but our team is full of quality and a lot of players with a big quality who play in good teams, so I’m really happy to be selected because I really wanted to go,” Semedo added.

“Sa will be there and Neto will be there as well, but there will be other familiar faces as well – Matheus (Nunes), Ruben Neves, it’s nice to have the Wolves group in the national team.

“We have a great team and we have to be confident. We’ve got to go game by game, but I think we are one of the teams who can win the European Championships.”