Desperately looking to find the form that saw them comfortably evade Premier League relegation last season, Wolverhampton Wanderers have now been dealt another frustrating injury blow.
Wolves injury news
Already in crisis mode within their backline following news of Yerson Mosquera’s ACL injury earlier this season, Wolves could have done without any further absentees. The Midlands club currently sit rock bottom in the Premier League, without a single win in any of their opening seven games and below all three newly promoted sides. To say that Gary O’Neil’s side are yet to get going would be a major understatement.
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Of course, however, context behind such a start is key. In those seven games, Wolves have already squared off against four of last season’s top six with champions Manchester City lying in wait this Sunday – as if things couldn’t get any tougher.
What’s more, O’Neil’s side also lost both Max Kilman and Pedro Neto to West Ham United and Chelsea respectively in the summer and whilst the latter was replaced by fresh faces such as Carlos Forbs, the same cannot be said about Kilman. So, amid a number of issues, another injury was the last thing those at the Molineux needed. But it’s exactly what they’ve got.
As revealed by O’Neil in his press conference before this weekend’s action, Hwang Hee-chan will now miss two to three weeks through an injury sustained whilst on international duty with South Korea.
Adding to their woes, Wolves must now play host to Manchester City with an even slimmer chance of upsetting the odds.
Games that "excellent" Hwang may now miss
Based on O’Neil’s verdict, it’s not just the Manchester City game that Hwang will miss for Wolves in what could be a make-or-break period for the manager’s future in the Midlands. If the forward is to miss the next three weeks, then he will miss as many as the next four Premier League games, including Wolves’ crucial early relegation six-pointer against Crystal Palace.
Wolves vs Manchester City
20/10/2024
Premier League
Brighton vs Wolves
26/10/2024
Premier League
Wolves vs Crystal Palace
2/11/2024
Premier League
Wolves vs Southampton
9/11/2024
Premier League
Likely scheduled to return around the Southampton fixture, it remains to be seen whether Hwang will be ready in time to square off against the Saints in another crucial fixture.
O’Neil is among those who are well aware of the £70k-a-week forward’s quality, telling reporters last season, via Molineux News: “He’s excellent. He’s really intelligent. He understands everything we ask of him. So tactically he’s very very good.
“Defensively without the ball, really good. A real good understanding of the role we want him to play. It really suits him. He understands that Pedro Neto is going to get a lot of joy down the other side with his pace so, his arriving in the box every time Pedro gets the ball is excellent.”