Wolverhampton Wanderers ran out 1-0 winners against Leeds United on Friday night to move up one place in the Premier League table.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s pack leapfrogged the Whites, and sights are now set on the top half after a haul of 11 points from the last six games.
Things are looking up, and fans are pleased to have seen a response to the dismal run of the past couple of months.
The one blemish of Friday night’s result was the fact that Fernando Marcal had to be substituted after picking up an injury.
The Brazilian had only just replaced Jonny Castro Otto, but had to be replaced shortly after himself by Rayan Ait-Nouri with around 10 minutes to go.
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Nuno has said the player will be assessed, and nothing has been made public yet, but the fact he couldn’t even finish the game after coming on as a second-half substitute is a little worrying.
£35,000-a-week star Marcal (Spotrac) has been dogged by issues in his first term at Molineux; he picked up a calf injury shortly after joining, then a knock, and more recently a groin problem, which saw him miss 11 matches.
Marcal’s latest issue has seen some supporters express their frustration, but a look into his recent history with injuries suggests this should not have come as a surprise.
Injury record meant Marcal was always going to be a gamble
According to Transfermarkt information, Marcal’s recent injury record is fairly poor.
In the 2019/20 season for Lyon, he picked up three injuries that ruled him out for a total of 94 days.
Due to the halt, it meant he actually only missed 12 games.
In the 2018/29 season, he again had three injuries, causing him to miss 106 days.
In both these campaigns, two of the three injuries he sustained were to his groin and calf, which he has had problems with again this term.
He only cost a reported £1.78 million (BBC Sport), but unfortunately his injury record of late means that is somehow looking like an expensive outlay.