Julen Lopetegui has suggested Pedro Neto is ready to start being involved in first-team matchday squads again for Wolves.
The winger has not yet featured for Wanderers since he sustained an ankle injury back in October.
The star suffered ligament damage and required surgery.
It has been a frustrating period for Neto, whose form wasn’t the best before his setback.
He will be itching to get back out there – and his return may now come very soon.
He was recently named on the bench for the game with Southampton. But he didn’t make the squads against Bournemouth and Fulham.
It was likely Julen Lopetegui only put him on the bench against the Saints because Daniel Podence was injured.
Neto has had a couple of outings for the U21s, and Lopetegui today suggested he’ll now be involved with the first-team again.
He said (Wolves official): “Pedro is working better, he’s feeling better day by day and he’s closer to start helping us. We are happy for him and it’s a good thing for the team, for sure.
“He’s a good player for us. He’s able, he’s working well, he has played two matches with the under-21s which is a good thing for him and will help him to have more rhythm. Now he is ready to start coming with us and after we are going to see when and where he’s going to play.
“He’s working well and he’s in the normal way, but he needs matches to recover and keep his rhythm, which is normal.”
Pedro Neto may take sometime getting up to speed for Wolves, as Julen Lopetegui suggests return to matchday squad is now imminent
It is great that Neto is now ready for minutes with the first-team again. Hopefully that can happen against Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
But Wolves fans hoping he’ll hit the ground running may need to tailor their expectations.
Neto, 22, has been out for four months and will need to build that match sharpness.
He also needs to get used to the way Wolves now play under Lopetegui. He’s been in training and will have been in tactical meetings. But nothing compares to actually playing in a competitive Premier League match.
It could be months before we see Neto come into form.