Losing Julen Lopetegui just before the season got underway, alongside the earlier departures of Ruben Neves, Adama Traore and Matheus Nunes, the last thing that Wolverhampton Wanderers needed was a slow start. Yet, that’s exactly what they’ve endured under Gary O’Neil.
Truth be told, the Midlands club have been unfortunate at times – they were denied a late penalty against Manchester United and soon received an apology for the incident, before being smashed by Brighton & Hove Albion, and finally getting off the mark with a victory over Everton.
Defeats against Crystal Palace and Liverpool have since followed, but Wolves can once again look back on their performances with great content, particularly when against the Reds, having taken the lead and largely dominated the first 45 minutes.
Following a game of two halves against Liverpool, however, those at Wolves at least received a much-needed injury boost, as confirmed by O’Neil.
What has Gary O’Neil said?
Watching on as his side eventually collapsed amid the Liverpool pressure, O’Neil would have been left frustrated by his side, who did so well to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Alas, it simply wasn’t meant to be, and Wolves, in defeat, may have hoped to avoid any further blows. When Rayan Ait-Nouri was forced off through injury, however, it looked as though the Midlands club were set to get exactly that.
O’Neil has since squashed any concerns, saying, via Molinuex News: “Rayan’s injury was just muscle fatigue really. I don’t expect him to have any problems. We won’t know until next weekend, but he’ll probably just need a few days to recover.”
The former Bournemouth manager will be a relieved man, given how important it is that he has a full squad available when the Premier League fixtures start coming thick and fast. Up next, Wolves square off against Luton Town, where they’ll be the favourites to pick up all three points.
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