Ivan Cavaleiro on road to Wolves recovery

The £7million signing has been out of action for more than a month with a knee injury.

However, the outlook isn't as positive for forward Joe Mason, who is still struggling with a hernia.

Mason was only expected to be sidelined for a week or two, but the injury is continuing to dog the 25-year-old who last played in the 3-1 win at Barnsley in late January.

Cavaleiro is now likely to return before Mason. Boss Paul Lambert is keen to get both back in action as soon as possible with Wolves having lost five games in a row, scoring just two goals in that time.

Lambert told the Express & Star: "Cavaleiro will hopefully train on Monday. Joe will be next week, to do some running.

"He's still struggling, he's still feeling it a bit, but hopefully next week he'll be out running.

"Cav is closer. Everything being OK, he'll be out on Monday."

When asked if the Portuguese would need under-23 games before being brought back into the first-team fold, Lambert said: "He's not been out too long so I'll have a look at him and see how he is."

Cavaleiro made a slow start to life in the Championship but began to flourish before Christmas, netting three goals in four games before playing through the pain barrier with a knee problem in January, leading to his current absence.

He last featured in the 3-1 defeat at Norwich City on January 21 when he was withdrawn at half-time.

Mason began the season in good form with three goals in his first five appearances. But he missed more than two months with a hernia problem, which has now resurfaced.

Wolves are also missing Connor Ronan (back), Silvio (foot) and Michal Zyro (knee).

Jordan Graham – disciplined along with Kortney Hause by Lambert last week after being unfit to train and sent home – is back in training following 13 months out with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Wolves face Reading away on Saturday before a trip to Ipswich on Tuesday.