A few weeks ago Wolves manager Bruno Lage was keen to make it known to the board that he only had 18 senior players to work with in the first team.
The Old Gold endured a torrid transfer window where they failed to land a number of their top targets and were limited to mainly loan signings.
Wolves explored the possibility of signing a top defender with Sven Botman and Duje Caleta-Car on their list.
Neither joined Wolves and then insult was added to injury after a late swoop for Renato Sanches on transfer deadline day sadly fell through as well.
In the process of leaving the senior team incredibly short, they decided to loan out 20 players from the first team and the academy.
The likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Christian Marques were both granted opportunities elsewhere despite being ready for improved opportunities under the new manager.
What that does grant them, though, is a chance to play regular football. One player benefitting from that in the Scottish Premiership is Connor Ronan.
The Irishman broke onto the scene as a teenager but now aged 23, he has made just 13 appearances for the first team at Molineux.
It’s been a disappointing career for the magician but he’s beginning to make some loud statements to Bruno Lage.
Ronan spent last term with Grasshopper in Switzerland but he’s now back in the UK where he’s enjoying a run of form at St Mirren.
The midfielder has started life vibrantly north of the border, scoring two goals and registering an assist from the middle of the park in his first three outings.
Both of his strikes came in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen on Sunday afternoon in front of the Sky Sports television cameras.
During that victory, he was phenomenal from an attacking perspective. Both of his shots on target found the net, while Ronan also provided a key pass and found a man with his only cross.
It wasn’t a particularly combative performance from the 5 foot 10 dynamo but his tidy nature and ability to pop up in the right place at the right time reminds us of Ruben Neves.
He was Wolves’ joint-top scorer in 2020/21 and brings an element of grace and poise to the club’s engine room.
Neves knows how to win a tackle as well but one of the most majestic elements to his game is undoubtedly his passing range.
Coincidentally, Ronan is cut from a similar cloth. During a loan spell with Walsall, his former teammate George Dobson said:
“He is a lovely player, a delight to watch and a delight to play with.
"The way he takes the ball in tight spaces, he can keep the ball under pressure which is so valuable for us. When the ball keeps turning over it is so hard because you have to do so much running, so when Connor is in the team he gives us that option because he really helps the team."
At the age of 23, it feels like Ronan is running out of time to make an impact on the Wolves chiefs. However, if he continues to perform like this, Lage should certainly keep an eye on his progress.
After all, Neves’ future in the Midlands is far from clear.