Wolves are in action against West Ham United today at the London Stadium and are looking to take three points after a disappointing result last weekend – but there is no Jose Sa in the matchday squad.
Wanderers are down in the capital and are keen to put the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest firmly behind them.
Wolves showed good character in the game to come from behind, but many fans felt it was an opportunity missed given the form of their opponents.
Today, Wolves are playing against a West Ham side that were thrashed 5-0 by Fulham last weekend.
Wolves’ teamsheet today is interesting because there is no Jose Sa for the visitors – and the reason for his absence has now been shared…
Jose Sa out of Wolves’ clash with West Ham with an injury
Some were surprised to see that Dan Bentley was starting in goal today against West Ham United, with Jose Sa not even in the matchday squad. Third-choice goalkeeper Tom King was on the bench.
Wolves just said that Sa was ‘unavailable’ when they put out the teamsheet.
But journalist Liam Keen has reported on X that Sa actually missed out today because of a shoulder injury.
It is unclear when exactly Sa sustained this injury, but O’Neil made no mention of it in his press conference on Thursday.
It’s possible the Portugal international picked up the injury in a late training session. Gary O’Neil hinted in his pre-match interview today on Sky Sports that this was the case.
The injury is not related to the one that forced him to miss the game recent game with Burnley, which was a back issue.
A chance for Dan Bentley
Today is a big chance for Bentley to stake his claim for Wolves.
He did not concede against Arsenal recently when he replaced Sa, and he then put in a solid performance against Burnley, with his double save drawing particular praise.
Bentley has always stated that he is at Wolves to compete, and he genuinely wants to become the number one at Molineux.
If he does well today, he can give O’Neil a selection headache.
He needs to try and make the most of his opportunity, and any others that may come his way if Sa needs a spell on the sidelines.