Wolves suffer Hwang Hee-chan injury blow

The 28-year-old had to be carried off the pitch after taking a blow to his ankle 20 minutes into South Korea’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying win in Jordan on Thursday night.

Hwang was later filmed being pushed through Seoul airport in a wheelchair as the squad returned to Korea ahead of Tuesday’s match with Iraq. Wolves are waiting for information on the injury though it may not be until Hwang returns to the UK next week they get a clear prognosis.

Hwang, whose form for Wolves in the first half of last season earned him a new contract through to 2028, has endured a difficult start to the current campaign. His most recent Premier League start came in the 6-2 home defeat to Chelsea on August 25.

Yet his injury potentially poses another blow for under-pressure head coach Gary O’Neil, whose team sit bottom of the league with just one point from their first seven matches.

Wolves have already suffered misfortune this season after defender Yerson Mosquera was sidelined for the rest of the campaign with a serious knee injury sustained in a 3-1 derby defeat at Villa. The Colombian underwent surgery earlier this week to repair medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments.

O’Neil’s team, beaten 5-3 at Brentford before the international break, return to action when they host reigning champions Manchester City a week tomorrow.