WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 03: A general view inside the stadium prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham at Molineux on November 3, 2017 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Wolves: O’Neil receives a boost as player’s condition is not as severe as feared
The Wolves’ manager will be relieved…
The loss of Julen Lopetegui just before the season began, combined with the earlier losses of Ruben Neves, Adama Traore, and Matheus Nunes, was the last thing Wolverhampton Wanderers needed. But that’s exactly what they’ve had to put up with under Gary O’Neil.
To be honest, the Midlands club has had some bad luck – they were denied a late penalty against Manchester United and quickly received an apology for the incident, before being thrashed by Brighton & Hove Albion and finally getting off to a winning start against Everton.
Defeats against Crystal Palace and Liverpool have since followed, but Wolves can look back on their efforts with pride, particularly when they took the lead and dominated the first 45 minutes against the Reds.
However, following a game of two halves against Liverpool, Wolves received a much-needed injury boost, as revealed by O’Neil.
What exactly has Gary O’Neil said?
O’Neil would have been frustrated with his team, who had done so well to take a 1-0 lead into the break, but they eventually succumbed under Liverpool siege. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, and Wolves, defeated, may have hoped to escape any additional blows. When Rayan Ait-Nouri was forced off due to injury, it appeared that the Midlands club would get exactly that.
O’Neil has now dismissed any concerns, telling Molinuex News, “Rayan’s injury was really just muscle fatigue.” I don’t anticipate any issues with him. We won’t know until next weekend, but he should be well in a few days.”
The former Bournemouth manager will be relieved, given how crucial it is for him to have a full team available when the Premier League fixtures begin to pile up. Wolves will play Luton Town next, and they will be heavy favorites to win all three points.
Ait-Nouri has been one of Wolves’ most significant players this season, starting five of their six games under O’Neil. Having said that, a long-term injury to the fullback would have been devastating for the Midlands club. That does not appear to be the case, with Ait-Nouri appearing set to return to the starting lineup.
Ait-Nouri’s meteoric rise was unsurprising, with his early success under Nuno Espirito Santo simply a foreshadowing of what was to come. “There is improvement, and he’s playing,” the former Wolves manager remarked, according to The Express and Star. He’s having game after game now, given the circumstances we have in the squad. As a result, there is no better moment to improve than in the game itself. Of course, we work with all of the players every day to improve the elements that we believe require development.”
Ait-Nouri, as a vital part of his team, will most likely want to go even further. According to FBref, he’s already excelled statistically this season, with his 20 progressive passes in five outings demonstrating his capacity to assist Wolves climb the table.
