Key player’s absence explained by Gary O’Neil after Wolves’ embarrassing loss vs Everton

Gary O’Neil has now explained why one of his key Wolves stars was absent from the embarrassing loss to Everton on Wednesday night.

In the aftermath of Wolves’ 4-0 defeat to Everton, most of the talk has surrounded Gary O’Neil’s future at Molineux, and whether he will shown the exit door.

The fans were adamant O’Neil should have been sacked after conceding four goals against a side that hadn’t found the net in four matches – a 1-1 draw against Fulham at the end of October.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
19	WolvesWolves	14	2	3	9	22	36	-14	9

Indeed, Wolves have now taken just nine points from a possible 42 this season, and their tally of 36 goals is by far the worst in the division, with Southampton next on 30.

Remarkably, despite setting such abysmal records, O’Neil is likely to be in charge of Wolves against West Ham and he has now addressed the media ahead of Monday’s clash.

• READ MORE: The woeful records Wolves broke in their humiliating defeat to Everton – one dates back to 1900

Why Pablo Sarabia was absent from Wolves squad vs Everton

In his pre-match press conference, O’Neil addressed his Wolves future and claimed there is ‘no one more professional and hard-working than him’.

While the above comments angered fans who believe he shouldn’t be in the job right now, the Wanderers boss also commented on other matters, including why winger Pablo Sarabia was absent.

Before the match, O’Neil confirmed that Sarabia was fit to play some part after suffering an issue with his calf since returning from the international break.

But, despite revealing positive news on his condition, supporters will have been surprised to see him miss out on the matchday squad.

Now, the Englishman has confirmed Sarabia didn’t travel with the squad on Wednesday due to having a sore calf with his condition to be assessed later in the week.

Sarabia doesn’t have a long-term future at Wolves

In many ways, silky winger Sarabia and O’Neil share some similarities, as they both don’t have long-term futures at Molineux.

While his manager is lucky not to have been shown his P45, Sarabia could leave Wolves in January amid interest from Spanish giants Sevilla.

The 32-year-old is the club’s joint-highest earner on £90,000-a-week alongside Goncalo Guedes, with the Portuguese forward perhaps also leaving in the transfer window.

An even bigger reason to part ways with Sarabia is the fact his contract expires in 2025, and the Wolves hierarchy can’t afford to renew it, leaving them no choice but to let him leave next month or in the summer.