Former England coach Steve McClaren has praised Super Eagles forward Tolu Arokodare following his crucial impact for Wolverhampton Wanderers in their 2-2 draw at Brentford on Monday night.

Arokodare, introduced in the second half, met João Gomes’ precise delivery with a powerful header in the 77th minute to level the score, rescuing Wolves from defeat.

Moments later, he came close to giving the visitors the lead, with another header striking the crossbar.

Highlighting the striker’s influence, McClaren said on Premier League Productions, as monitored by allnigeriasoccer.com: “Completely and I've seen quite a few games where that's happened. He's come on, he's a presence. He knocks people about. He's always a threat in the box.”

He also noted how Wolves’ tactical adjustments contributed to Arokodare’s effectiveness.

McClaren said: “And I think the way that they set out in the second half, tightened up at the back, became more compact, dominated the midfield area with Gomez and Andre and Arokodare coming on, gave them that physical presence in the box when they put the ball in there.”

Reflecting on the first half, he added: “First half they didn't have that. They just had Adam busy, but they had busy and they had a threat going beyond. That's why they got the result.”

Arokodare’s timely intervention was pivotal as Brentford had dominated early proceedings and held a two-goal lead.

His aerial ability and composure under pressure emphasized his growing significance in Wolves’ bid to maintain their Premier League status.

Wale Adejumo