Wolves took the decision to recall young duo Ryan Giles and Dion Sanderson in January – and the pair have struggled to regain their momentum at their new loan clubs.
Wolves acted early in the winter window to get wing-back Giles back from Cardiff City.
They also exercised their option to bring back Sanderson from Birmingham City
The thinking was to provide cover for a depleted first-team squad.
Romain Saiss would head off to AFCON with Morocco, leaving Conor Coady and Max Kilman as the only centre-halves.
At the time, Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera were both injured.
So the club brought back Sanderson.
And Giles was also brought back, with Hwang Hee-chan and Pedro Neto both on the sidelines. The wing-back is capable of playing further up the pitch.
In the end, neither player got any first-team minutes. Sanderson was perhaps the more likely to feature. But in the end it was Toti Gomes who emerged as the unlikely deputy for Saiss.
The pair were then sent back out on loan, but to different clubs than whom they started the season with.
Giles joined Blackburn Rovers, and Sanderson ventured south to QPR.
Both had enjoyed fantastic campaigns in the first half of 2021/22. Giles was especially good, having clocked up nine assists in 21 appearances.
Unfortunately, the upheaval has not been particularly helpful to the pair.
At Blackburn, Giles has come in for a bit of criticism for his displays, and has only managed to make one assist in 11 appearances so far.
And Sanderson has made eight appearances for QPR, and has only been a part of two clean sheets, and only one when he has started. He has only ended up on the winning side once, against Derby County on Monday.
Sanderson also received a red card against Blackpool in February after clashing with Reece James.
Wolves January decision has not been favourable for Giles or Sanderson
There was always a danger of this happening.
Giles and Sanderson were flying for Cardiff and Birmingham respectively before their recalls.
Now, it’s as though both have had their momentum disrupted a little.
Them going to new clubs hasn’t really helped. They have had to adapt to new methods and work with different players. Perhaps it might have been best to send them both back to the clubs they began the season with.
Wolves did what they needed to do in January. It was possible one or both might have been needed for the first-team.
But unfortunately, it is looking as though the decision has had a negative impact on both youngsters.
Hopefully both are able to find their feet for the final few games of the season.