The international break is coming up, and many of Wolves’ players will be heading out to represent their nations.
Unfortunately for others, they have not been called upon despite being regular fixtures for their countries.
Matt Doherty’s wrist surgery has left him ineligible for Ireland, and he will also miss quite a few weeks for Wolves.
Meanwhile, Jhon Arias was surprisingly omitted from Colombia’s upcoming games despite recently shining for the Old Gold.
Missing out on pulling on your nation’s shirt is no doubt frustrating, and there was another star who likely felt the same, until Saturday afternoon.
Fer Lopez replaces Marc Bernal in Spain’s under-21 squad
Fer Lopez was called up to Spain’s under-21s in the last international break and after being selected to train with the Spanish national team, it was strange to see him miss out this time around.
Unfortunately, this was the case, and Lopez was set to stay in England over the next couple of weeks as domestic football took a break.
However, after Barcelona’s Marc Bernal pulled out of the under-21s squad due to injury, the Wolves star is now set to take his place.
It is great news for the young talent, who no doubt would have been upset at the original snub. The Wolves man will now have a chance to impress for his nation once more.
The former Celta Vigo man has not been given much game time at Molineux so far, and there have been calls for Lopez to start for the Old Gold.
The lack of game time was likely a factor in him being left out of the squad in the first place.
Fer Lopez played in midfield for Spain under-21s
After being left out originally, the likelihood of Lopez playing over the break might be slim.
However, in the last set of games for Spain’s under-21s, he was deployed in central midfield.
He played 111 minutes across two matches, with him starting in Spain’s 3-0 win against Cyprus. The Wolves man ended up picking up an assist as he was positioned in a deeper role.
It was an interesting decision by the under-21s coach, David Gordo, as it was just the second game he has ever played in central midfield in his career.
It seemed to work well, and perhaps it gives Vitor Pereira something to think about, but the physicality of the Premier League could be a reason it would not work out.