Wolves’ manager spent a lot of time on the fringes as a goalkeeper but making his mind work harder than his hands has paid off with an FA Cup semi-final against WatfordThe most influential voices usually come from the dugout – and in more ways than one with Nuno Espírito Santo. A second-choice goalkeeper for a large chunk of his playing career, Nuno’s sage observations from the substitutes’ bench, or in a corner of the dressing room that José Mourinho entrusted him to police at Porto, made him a manager in waiting.“I’ve always seen Nuno as a born leader,” Derlei, the Brazilian forward who played with Nuno for Porto and Dynamo Moscow, says. “It’s normal someone like that wants to be a coach. He worked with great managers from whom he learned and then shaped his style. And he’s very intelligent, a high IQ. You just have to look at the size of his head!” Related: Wolves’ Nuno Espírito Santo: ‘You join a philosophy, a view of how football works’ Related: Javi Gracia pleased to be confounding pessimistic expectations at Watford Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sport Continue readingreadfullarticle
