Wolves have been handed another injury blow ahead of their clash with Aston Villa, with one key star not spotted in training ahead of Saturday’s fixture.
Following the international break, Wolves return to action with a trip to Villa Park on Saturday evening, taking on Aston Villa to commence the run-in to the end of the Premier League season.
The Old Gold will be hopeful of securing a victory over their Midlands rivals, building on the 1-1 draw with the Villans at Molineux back in October.
It’s set to be a well-contested affair between the two sides that have enjoyed a successful campaign however, Gary O’Neil would have hoped to take a stronger XI into the final 10 games of the season.
Wolves are struggling on the injury front
With attacking duo Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan ruled out due to injury, the Old Gold’s front line has taken a dramatic beating however, there is hope that Matheus Cunha could have a part to play against Villa.
In an update provided by journalist Danyal Khan, it was noted that fellow forward Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was not spotted in training after coming off injured last time out in the league against Fulham.
Moving away from the front line, Khan also touched upon the absence of Craig Dawson in training, with the Englishman missing Wolves’ previous two fixtures with a groin injury.
Craig Dawson will be a particularly big miss for Wolves
After arriving at Molineux in January 2023, not many would have anticipated the impact that Dawson would have on the club.
The 33-year-old has become an integral part of O’Neil’s back line, marshalling the back three expertly alongside Max Kilman and Toti Gomes.
Despite signing La Liga centre-back Santi Bueno for £8.5m in the summer, the Englishman’s stance has not changed, with him consistently proving why he is Wolves’ first-choice centre-back.
Lauded as “unbelievable” by teammate Mario Lemina for his displays this season, Dawson will be a significant miss for the Old Gold against Villa, with his experience irreplaceable.
With 39 blocks in the Premier League this season, only Everton’s James Tarkowski has made more blocks than the Wolves ace, reinforcing his impact and innate reading of the game in O’Neil’s set-up.
Given the threat that Villa possess up front, particularly that of Ollie Watkins, who has 26 goal contributions this season, it will be a sore miss to be without the experience of Dawson for the Midlands derby on Saturday.