International call-ups give Wolves boss Nuno a headache
Nuno Espirito Santo will be without a large chunk of his Wolves squad for the start of pre-season following a raft of international call-ups.
Eight players have been selected for duty by their countries already, meaning Nuno is set to have a bare-bones group upon returning to Compton next week.
The usual Portuguese quartet – Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota – have been called up for Nations League matches against Sweden and Croatia.
Ruben Vinagre and Pedro Neto are also due to represent Portugal after being named in the under-21s group for matches against Cyprus and Belarus.
Matt Doherty, as usual, is going away with Ireland for clashes with Bulgaria and Finland.
Adama Traore has been included in a new-look Spain squad for fixtures against Germany and Ukraine, too.
Good news for the players, but a blow to Nuno as he looks to get Wolves ready for the new Premier League season, which begins at Sheffield United on Monday, September 14.
Following a gruelling 383-day, 59-game campaign, it was already a quick turnaround for 2020/21.
Now, the boss will have very little time on the training pitch with some of his key players ahead of facing the Blades.
To add to Nuno’s concerns, Leander Dendoncker is highly likely to be going away with Belgium – who are yet to name their squad.
Mexico star Raul Jimenez and Morocco captain Romain Saiss will not be going away, though, as their countries are not playing until early October.
The absences could lead to Nuno turning to some of the club’s young players for training exercises.
Boss James Collins has been pleased with the work of the under-23s, who drew in friendlies with Walsall and Coventry last week before beating Sheffield United’s under-23s at the weekend.
“We had two incredibly tough games against Coventry and Walsall’s first-teams last week and I thought the boys acquitted themselves really well,” said Collins.
“We drew both games and the players worked very hard with what we’re trying to implement and the way we’re trying to play. To be playing against first-team players, not conceding and doing as well as they did, it was really pleasing to see the positive signs they showed.
“Playing against first-team opposition is a really good judge of where you’re at as an academy player. It’s a test of character, energy and enthusiasm.”
