John Ruddy played as Wolves were knocked out of the FA Cup by his former club Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.
He has been Bruno Lage’s cup goalkeeper this season but that has only brought a total of four outings across two competitions.
Wolves were of course eliminated at the third round stage of the EFL Cup by Tottenham back in September.
But it is hard to see how Ruddy will get another game between now and the end of the season unless Jose Sa gets injured or suspended.
Sa has been exceptional this term and as good a professional as Ruddy is, there is no prospect of him knocking the Portuguese stopper out of the side on merit at present.
And Ruddy’s contract is expiring at the end of the season, which raises the prospect that he will depart Molineux to be a starter elsewhere.
That means that he could well have played his final game for the club already.
He would be sorely missed as a presence around the club and the dressing room; goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts called him ‘brilliant’ in October.
But in terms of leaving for regular gametime, nobody could begrudge him that.
Perhaps, if it does become apparent that Ruddy is going to leave, he could get a late-season appearance, with Lage giving the fans a chance to give him a send off.
But it is just as likely that he has run out as a Wolves player for the last time before seeking pastures new in the summer.
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