Fixtures against Premier League opposition will increase the intensity of pre-season earlier than usual, providing a useful test before the Europa League begins next week. The Asia trip has replaced a trip to Europe, which has been in place over recent years at Wolves, and Nuno is looking forward to the initial challenge of Newcastle United on Wednesday.
On the Asia Trophy
“The big difference is the quality of the opponent, no doubt about it, and, of course, a different environment. Normally we play these kinds of matches in Europe, so there’s a big difference. The Asia Trophy allows us to really test ourselves.”
On being out in China
“It's tough because of the high level of humidity and it becomes very harsh for the players, but we're trying to take care of that situation, not to make the sessions very long and give them some time to rest.
“We are here to play, not necessarily to train. We're realising it's been tough for them.”
On the transfer market
“We have to realise this season is different, there’s a lot of international competitions, there was a Copa America, Africa Cup, under-20s and under-21s, so it was a lot of football and a lot of players involved in the competitions.
“In my view it delays everything. It’s hard, especially for us because we want quality over quantity. I hope we realise that and just go strong in the market, bringing the players we want to bring, but this season is different to all the seasons.
“At the moment we are working with 11 first team players. We have Raul (Jimenez) and Romain (Saiss) out, it's obvious we have to bring (players in), but there are a lot of things in consideration. We're only going to bring players that will add quality to the squad we have.”
