Wolverhampton Wanderers news from BirminghamLive as we look at Dexter Lembikisa’s progress on loan to Rotherham United
Wolves right back Dexter Lembikisa has made a flying start to life on loan in the Championship, quickly becoming a favourite at Rotherham United.
The 19 year old is on his first loan away from Molineux and has started four of his team’s five games, coming off the bench in the other. But those stats don’t cover his performances or his personal milestone at the weekend, scoring his first senior goal with a superb volley that helped his team to a 2-1 win at home to Rotherham United.
The Rotherham Advertiser was impressed….and not just with the goal. They report: “The high-velocity volley was fired so perfectly that goalkeeper Angus Gunn didn’t stand a chance as it screamed into the net.
“It was a first goal in senior football for the loan teenager who is fast becoming a cult figure among Millers supporters and in all likelihood he will never score a better one.”
A look at the Rotherham fans forum, Millers Mad, confirms the youngster is a favourite with supporters. One comments: “Please don’t want Dexter back at xmas Wolves. You must have one helluva player at right back now if he’s keeping Dex out.”
Another adds: “After the shaky first 20 minutes against Blackburn, the lad has been a revelation, what a performance and what a goal. He will be a top, top player. Certainly MOM. Hope we can keep him all season.”
The club’s official website confirmed Lembikisa was indeed man of the match against Norwich, as voted for by 62 per cent of supporters. They reported: “A rocket of a strike and an excellent performance to accompany it meant that on loan defender Dexter Lembikisa landed the Mattress Online Man of the Match award for Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship success over Norwich City.
“The 19-year-old unleashed a ferocious strike which will almost certainly go into the reel for ‘Goal of the Season’ contenders. Lembikisia, only 19 and on loan from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, provided the Millers with a maturity in both defence and attack beyond his tender years.
“Not only was he able to stifle the dangerous Dimitris Giannoulis but he also found ways to hurt the Canaries down the flanks in attack and was the standout performer from a team display which made selecting four candidates incredibly difficult.”
Next we go to Rotherham boss Matt Taylor who said: “We like Dexter. What he is, for a 19 year old……his goal is a bonus on top of his outstanding defensive display. He is only going to keep getting better.”
Lembikisa made his senior debut for Wolves in November, getting his chance as a substitute in the Carabao Cup tie at Leeds then following that in the same week with a Premier League debut in the home game against Arsenal.
Those opportunities came under the interim management team of Steve Davis and James Collins who had coached the defender in the academy. But Julen Lopetegui also showed faith in the youngster when he gave him his first start, in the FA Cup tie at Liverpool in January.
Lembikisa joined the Wolves academy when he was 13 and the progress he has made since then was rewarded in January with a three-and-a-half year contract, with Wolves holding an option to extend that for a further year.
The defender’s former academy and first team boss Davis is now the club’s pathways manager, in charge of helping young players bridge the gap from academy to first team football.
He was always confident Lembikisa would do well on loan. When the deal to Rotherham was announced back in July, he said: “He’s more than capable of doing well in the Championship. It’s a good place to be, a good club to go to and it’s a great first loan for him. It’s a reward for his progression through to the first-team and also with his call-up at international level.
“The stint with the first-team has really helped and training with those players everyday has brought him on again and pushed him to see what he can do more of. When players train regularly with the first-team, we find that they have to up their game and they get to know what the standard’s like.
“He’s always been a confident boy and felt that he belongs in that company, which has helped him settle quickly into the first-team environment.
“When you’ve got someone who is consistent each day and doesn’t look out of place in that environment with top-class players, you have to have every confidence that when he does get an opportunity, he’ll be fine.
“He’s going to have some really tough games against some really good opposition. The wingers in that league will be good and some are top Championship and Premier League wingers, so he’s going to get tested.
“I’m interested to see how he copes with that. I’ll be going to watch the games and will keep a close eye on his progression.”