Wolves boss Gary O'Neil sends warning over Pedro Neto expectation

The winger is now back in full training ahead of Sunday’s clash with Chelsea, where it is hoped he will make the bench.

After a remarkable start to the season that saw him pick up seven assists, fans are eagerly awaiting his return to the field, but head coach O’Neil insists the player will still need time to get back to his best after his hamstring injury.

“The expectation will be that he comes straight back and hits the level that he was, but it was a significant injury, he’s been out for a while and off the grass for a long time,” O’Neil said.

“Even when he has been on the grass he’s been on his own working, which is different to playing Premier League football.

“Expectation on Pedro will always be high because of the quality he has and I’m sure he enjoys that expectation, but from our point of view we have to handle him coming back and pick the right moments until he’s to speed fully.

“That won’t take very long, knowing how hard he works and how professional he is.

“Of course everyone will be excited to have Pedro back, but everyone will understand we want him back ready as well. Pedro is an intelligent guy, knows the nature of the injury and knows it not one you can rush. He’s been really good with his rehab and the work he’s done with the medical team to get him in the best place possible.

“He’s recovered fairly quickly to this point because of the work he’s done and now it’s our job to make sure we protect him, make sure he’s ready, but also make sure we get him back as soon as possible because he’s a huge asset.

“It’ll give everyone a lift when he’s back but I can assure you there won’t be any chances taken, it’ll be done the right way.

“He feels great. He’s been back with the team with no restrictions for the last three or four days.

“So when I decide he’s ready and he starts to show me he feels ready, he’ll be back in.”

Despite losing the star forward, Wolves have coped well without him for the last two months.

And O’Neil has praised the squad for proving the doubters wrong.

“There will be results in that spell without him that we’ll be disappointed with, but the group have remained focused and there’s a lot of quality still in there,” he added.

“Anyone that was thinking without Pedro the group would fail miserably, they’ve managed to prove a lot of people wrong and kept putting results on the board.

“As with any team in the league, a player of Pedro’s quality will be a huge bonus for us when he’s back. The lads will get a lift from it as well, you can see they’ve enjoyed having him back in training.

“Rayan (Ait-Nouri) too, so to get them two back is really good for us, we just need to keep the group fit and everyone will be important.”