Ruben Neves confirms his love for Wolves - and then makes exciting admission

Wolves hero Ruben Neves admits it felt strange returning to Molineux at the weekend - as he refused to rule out playing for the club again one day.

Neves, now with Saudi side Al-Hilal but currently nursing an injury, was a special guest for the Wolves win over Southampton, their first of the season. He said: "It felt strange, to be honest. Seeing all these people and not being on the pitch, but it's very good to be back.
“I feel very happy and my family is very happy as well, because this club means a lot to us. But it's not only about the club, it’s about the city, it’s about the friends we made here. Our kids, for example, they were born and grew up here. Our family grew up here, so Wolverhampton means a lot to us.

“It was a big opportunity for us to come back, and we are very pleased to be here and to share with all these people the love that they had for us over that six years.”

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Speaking to Wolves.co.uk, the classy Portuguese midfielder lifted the lid on an emotional departure from his beloved club, something that had been on the cards and rumoured for a long time but one that still hurt fans when it became a reality.

“It was very difficult – the hardest decision of my life," he recalled. "But I also think it was the right moment for me and for the club. The last season for me here was very hard, mentally.

“I was very tired and I remember I spoke to my wife that season, and I said that mentally it was hard for me to deal with everything that happened. With coaches being sacked, then playing a few games with internal coaches, and then another coach coming in with a lot of new players, fighting for relegation – it was not a perfect season.

“Being captain through all of that, I felt it a lot. So, I think it was the perfect time for me and for the club, but that didn’t stop it from being a very hard decision. This club will be always in my heart because it was six fantastic years I spent here."

On possibly playing for Wolves again, he said: “I don't like to speak about that because life changes a lot. Of course, this is a special home for me and a special home for my family, so Wolves will always be in our minds and there will always be a chance.

“But I don't want to create expectations because we know how football is. We don't know what will even happen tomorrow, but for sure, it's an open door for me. I believe that if I can choose, Wolves will always be one of the options, for sure, but I don't know what can happen.”

For now, Wolves have a fight on their hands to stay up this season, but Neves has no doubts that they can and they will, adding: “I'm sure of it. (The Southampton win) is massive because winning this game will give the confidence that they need. Football is about confidence.

“We felt that in the last season I was here. We were 10 points when we stopped for the World Cup and I remember when we came back, we won one and then two games, and we were flying. That's the secret. It's all about being confident when we are playing on the pitch, and with these fans, with this atmosphere at Molineux, I'm sure they will go up on the table.”