Gary O’Neil has updated fans on the injury front ahead of Man City vs Wolves with Pedro Neto closing in on a return.
Injuries have been Wolves’ achilles heel in 2024. The club have been down to the bare bones with multiple of Wolves’ first-team out on the sidelines.
Notable absentees Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan were out for months, but have now made their return to the Molineux pitch.
However, multiple stars have remained on the sidelines. This has resulted in many of Wolves’ academy players having minutes on the pitch in order to boost the numbers.
Now, ahead of a tricky tie against Man City, O’Neil has confirmed that multiple first-teamers could return for the upcoming tie.
Pedro Neto – injury latest
Injuries have once again been tough on Neto. After missing a large part of the early campaign, the winger was once again forced onto the sidelines.
Neto injured his hamstring against Fulham which has kept him out of the team since March.
There were initial fears that Wolves’ star man could be out for the season. However, after the Wolves manager’s recent update, these reports now seem unfounded.
In his recent press conference, O’Neil confirmed that Neto had returned to first-team training following his injury.
On top of this, journalist Liam Keen reported that the manager said ‘Neto has a chance of returning for the Man City match’ on Saturday.
Expected return: Man City (May 4)
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – injury latest
Another player who has been on the sidelines for a substantial amount of time is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
The Frenchman was injured alongside Neto in the 2-1 victory over Fulham in March. Since then, the midfielder has been unable to return to the pitch as he recovers from a knee issue.
However, alongside Neto, Bellegarde is now expected to make his return to the pitch soon.
O’Neil confirmed that he had returned to first-team training and is in contention to face Man City on the weekend.
Expected return: Man City (May 4)
Santiago Bueno – injury latest
The centre-back has been able to force himself into the team of late after Craig Dawson’s injury.
Here, the Uruguayan has impressed, with Santiago Bueno’s performance against Arsenal the standout. However, in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth, the defender was forced off with an issue.
As a result, Santiago Bueno missed the victory against Luton last weekend.
Now, in preparation for Man City, O’Neil has confirmed the defender has made a quick recovery and could play a part against Man City.
Expected return: Man City (May 4)
Craig Dawson – injury latest
One player who has had quite a few knocks this season. Dawson has missed the last few games with a groin injury and has not featured since the defeat to Newcastle.
Dawson made it onto the bench in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham at Molineux but was not risked during the match.
Now, O’Neil has confirmed that Dawson has had an operation and will be out for the rest of the season.
Expected return: 2024/25 season
Tommy Doyle and Gary O’Neil unavailable to take part in Man City vs Wolves
Wolves will be without two more vital members of the team on Saturday evening.
Tommy Doyle, who has recently signed for Wolves permanently is unable to play the fixture. This is due to the midfielder being on loan from Man City and the permanent deal will not be confirmed until the season’s end.
On top of this, O’Neil will also not be on the touchline for the fixture. O’Neil has a one-match touchline ban for his comments after the West Ham defeat which will be served at the Eithad.