How injury jinx has struck Wolves with a vengeance
Wolves, having fared so well with injuries in previous years, have drastically seen things take a turn for the worse this time around.
Star man Pedro Neto needing knee surgery is a massive blow for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
And, unfortunately, it adds to a long list of problems over the course of this season.
Here is a look at the issues Wolves have faced.
Raul Jimenez (fractured skull, still in recovery)
Wolves’ first serious problem of 2020/21 came when Jimenez clashed heads with David Luiz at Arsenal in November.
A long delay in the game saw the Mexican stretchered off and rushed to hospital, where scans revealed he had suffered a fractured skull.
The striker was quickly operated on and since then, he has made excellent progress.
Jimenez has been joining in with sessions at Compton for several weeks and even linked up with Mexico for a training camp during last month’s international break.
Wolves, though, continue to monitor him with the utmost caution as they await clearance for him to start heading balls once more.
Fernando Marcal (groin surgeries, still in recovery)
After a few knocks over the Christmas period – Willy Boly and Leander Dendoncker both missing four games during that busy time – Wolves had Marcal pull up against Tottenham on December 27.
Needing surgery for a groin issue, the Brazilian would go on to miss eight matches, the best part of two months.
The summer signing would return for two games, as a substitute, before injuring his other groin and needing another operation. He remains on the sidelines, with no return date yet.
Daniel Podence (adductor problem, two months out)
Having been plagued by a thigh issue which forced him to miss three games at the start of 2021, Podence came back briefly before sustaining an adductor injury.
Doing that in the win over Arsenal at Molineux on February 2, the Portuguese missed seven matches before returning for last Monday’s 3-2 loss to West Ham.
Wolves are currently in the process of gradually getting him back to full fitness, having played 45 minutes against the Hammers and 74 in the win at Fulham last Friday.
Jonny Castro Otto (ACL, due for surgery)
In such a cruel turn of events, Otto suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during training two Sundays ago.
The Spaniard had already spent the majority of the campaign recovering from a similar injury sustained last August.
He missed Wolves’ first 23 matches of the season and returned for seven – adding much-needed stability to the backline – before doing his right knee for a second time.
Otto is booked in for surgery this week and will be out for the rest of the season and beyond.
An exact time frame has not been given. He spent six months recovering the first time around.
Pedro Neto (patella, due for surgery)
Also due to go under the knife this week now is Neto after injuring his patella against Fulham.
It is thought he will be out for around six months, meaning he will miss this summer’s Euros with Portugal.
Wolves have also had various other injuries during the season – Boly missing most of February.
Covid-19 issues have hampered them, too, with Conor Coady, Morgan Gibbs-White, Boly and now Ruben Neves forced to self-isolate. The problems have not stopped.
