Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has thrown down the gauntlet to the fringe players at the club to seriously challenge for a starting role, reports The Express and Star.

The 43-year-old took over at Molineux back in May following the departure of Paul Lambert, who had led the side to a 16th place finish in the Championship having taken over from the sacked Walter Zenga back in November.

And the former Valencia and FC Porto chief’s arrival has instigated several high-profile names to join him at the Midlands outfit, notably Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota, and that has also led to the likes of Dave Edwards and Nouha Dicko leaving the club during the summer.

However, there are plenty of options at Nuno Santo’s disposal at Molineux, yet he named an unchanged starting eleven in their first four league games of the campaign, and made just one change for their trip to Brentford last time out.

And the 43-year-old has thrown down the gauntlet to those on the peripheries of the first team to state their intent for a starting role.

He said: ‘It’s about having a squad.

‘The exact expression or sentence I use – there’s not a player that doesn’t start in the XI. It’s a player who’s waiting for his chance. It’s the way he waits for that and being ready for it.

‘We give the same tools and instructions to every player. They have to be available and at a high level of performance to choose them.’

These comments are sure to intrigue Wolves fans, who have seen their side make a fine start to the new season with three wins and a draw from their opening five matches.

However, with a 2-1 loss to Cardiff and a 0-0 draw at Brentford in their most recent encounters, manager Nuno Santo may be tempted to tweak his starting eleven, although will need those on the fringes to really put a marker down in the days ahead of their clash with Millwall on Saturday.

The Verdict: After three wins from their first three matches, it’s hardly a surprise that Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo kept the same starting eleven.

However, failure to win either of their last two Championship games will have further highlighted to the former Porto boss how integral the squad is, which is likely why he has come out and thrown down the gauntlet to those who haven’t perhaps appeared as much as they would have liked this term.

Ultimately, a manager would likely rather have a selection headache and try to cram several payers in the starting eleven as opposed to the other way round - it’s up to those on the peripheries at Molineux to give him those problems.

Wolves fans… what do you make of Nuno Santo’s comments? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!