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Wolverhampton Wanderers starting XI regular Matt Doherty was left on the substitutes’ bench for the 2-0 win against Cardiff City on Saturday with winger Adama Traore starting in his spot at right wing-back, and his position could now be under serious threat.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Nuno Santo decided to take action following the 1-0 defeat against Huddersfield Town in midweek by making five changes for the visit of the Bluebirds, with a report in The Express & Star suggesting that Doherty was one of the players that was rested, rather than dropped.

Summer addition Traore has found first-team minutes hard to come by this term with the majority of his outings being cameos from the substitutes’ bench, but he was finally given a rare chance after being named in the manager’s side.

The 23-year-old may have been slightly nervous beforehand about playing a role that requires plenty of defending, but it certainly didn’t show on the pitch as he excelled.

Doherty in danger?

He could well be.

We’ve found Raul Jimenez’s No. 1 fan and… it’s a little scary. Check out the video below to see for yourself…

The 27-year-old has started all but two of Wolves’ 29 Premier League fixtures during the current campaign, with the only other time he didn’t make the XI being in the 4-3 win against Leicester City in January.

On that occasion he came straight back in, but it might not be so simple for him this time around.

Santo may have had some slight doubts as to whether Traore could adapt defensively, and while the west Midlands outfit weren’t up against the greatest of opposition he still did an impressive job before returning to his favoured wing position early in the second half.

The Spaniard can finally give Doherty the competition for his spot that has been severely lacking and probably led to some complacency on the Republic of Ireland international’s part.