Wolves could be without one of their biggest stars after the international break as he ‘undergoes treatment’ with his country.
Wolves have had a tough start to the current campaign. The Old Gold currently reside in the relegation zone after picking up six points from their first 11 matches.
However, in recent weeks Gary O’Neil has overseen more positive results. On Saturday, Wolves picked up their first Premier League victory of the season as they beat Southampton 2-0.
Yet, just as the club looked like it was turning a corner, the Old Gold suffered another potential blow after Andre picked up a knock on international duty.
Wolves star Andre ‘undergoing treatment’ with Brazil
Andre has been one of Wolves’ brightest sparks so far this season. Despite the trouble the club currently finds themselves in, the midfielder has been one of O’Neil’s best players.
As a result, Andre was the only Brazilian player at Wolves who was able to keep his spot in the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
However, it now seems that the midfielder may not be fit enough to play any of the matches.
Sport Witness has reported that he has suffered a hip injury and did not train on Tuesday.
Andre is not expected to play against Venezuela and could be sent home before their second match against Uruguay.
When asked about Andre and fellow Brazilian Guilherme Arana, manager Dorival Júnior confirmed the injury to TNT Brasil but has admitted that it is not very serious: “They are undergoing treatment, following the medical guidelines. At first, they will stay with us. We will try to recover tomorrow, it’s not happening for the next match.
“But a bigger evaluation will be done after the match against Venezuela, and if necessary, we will take the necessary measures.
“But at first, we will try to recover them because of the injuries. They were not very serious injuries, and because of that, I think that with the treatment, we may be able to recover them.”
Read more: All 11 Wolves players on international duty and which fixtures they could participate in.
Wolves need as many players as possible injury-free for the festive period
Wolves’ upcoming games will likely decide their season and the fate of O’Neil. Before Boxing Day, the Old Gold will play in six highly-winnable fixtures including clashes against relegation rivals, Everton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City.
At a minimum, O’Neil will need to secure 9 points from these six games or the Wolves manager may well get the boot.
To give him the best chance of achieving this, he needs as many players as possible fit and match ready for one of the busiest periods of the season.
Wolves simply cannot lose players like Andre to international duty, similar to how Hwang Hee-Chan picked up an injury with South Korea last month which has kept him out four consecutive games.
Thankfully, Andre’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious and hopefully, he will be fit for the away clash against Fulham.