Wolves have been boosted by positive news on the injury front ahead of their clash against West Ham United tomorrow afternoon.
Wolves host West Ham in the Premier League this weekend following their midweek draw against Burnley. Gary O’Neil‘s men are still in the mix for Europe – currently three points behind the Hammers – despite being ravaged by injury troubles.
While injuries to their first-team stars, including Hwang-Hee Chan, Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha have been damaging, this period has also shown how depleted Fosun has left O’Neil.
The former Bournemouth manager has had to rely on academy forwards Nathan Fraser and Leon Chiwome to lead their line.
It demonstrates the lack of depth, and even with all of his players fully fit, O’Neil isn’t exactly blessed with a big squad to choose from.
Fortunately, Wolves may not need to rely on their academy graduates much longer as Cunha is in line to start against West Ham while another two first-team stars could return.
Gary O’Neil receives positive update on Wolves duo
Despite the difficult hand O’Neil has been dealt, the 40-year-old has played it like a pair of aces as Wolves are firmly in European contention.
If they beat West Ham at Molineux this weekend, they will leapfrog the Hammers on goal difference while also boasting a game in hand.
O’Neil will want his squad in the best shape possible to overcome the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta, with an update now emerging on two of his injured first-team stars.
As reported by journalist Liam Keen, Hwang and Dawson have trained today, which could point towards them featuring in the squad on Saturday.
Wolves European hopes have been boosted
Wolves haven’t been the same defensively since Dawson suffered an injury, missing their last three top-flight matches, while Hwang’s goal output has proven very difficult to replace.
The South Korean sharpshooter has missed nine of their last 11 games through injury or Asia Cup duty but he’s still O’Neil’s top scorer in the league with 10.
A key ingredient to both their defence and attack, welcoming them back into the fray could be game-changing for Wolves, as not only will it allow them to revert to a successful back-three system, but their fluidity in attack will be reinstated.
Dawson established an excellent partnership alongside Max Kilman and Toti Gomes before his injury, while Hwang’s positional versatility and quality in attack played a crucial role in their rise up the table.
With O’Neil previously saying they’d be back for the Nottingham Forest clash a week on Saturday, the fact they’ve both trained today gives supporters a glimmer of hope that an appearance tomorrow could be possible.