Wolves have been handed a major injury boost today as the club’s media showed one of Gary O’Neil’s best players returning to training.
It’s been a difficult period for Wolves recently, as Gary O’Neil continues to try and balance his small squad with the demands of the Premier League run-in.
The Old Gold entered the 2023/24 campaign with a severe lack of squad depth due to the club’s need to offload key players in the summer to adhere to financial rulings, leaving O’Neil with a difficult job to overcome at Molineux.
Against the odds, the Englishman has implemented a higher level of performance at Wolves this season however, the team shortages have recently come to light.
In recent weeks, the Midlands club have had their form dented due to successive injuries with little depth to cover for such absences, with O’Neil having his favoured front three out concurrently last month.
Read Wolves’ latest injury round-up here
Fortunately, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha have returned to action after their time on the sidelines, with an encouraging update on Pedro Neto’s recovery now emerging.
Wolves show footage of Pedro Neto training in major boost for Gary O’Neil
On the club’s official website and social media channels earlier today, Neto was pictured in light training for the first time after he sustained a hamstring injury against Fulham.
It was the 24-year-old’s second absence due to a hamstring problem this season, with the 2023/24 campaign proving to be another footballing calendar shortened by injury for the winger.
Still, Wolves will be overjoyed to see Neto back in high spirits and in training in what would be a significant boost for the manager if the Portugal international is seen again in action before the end of the season.
Last week, O’Neil admitted that he is ‘optimistic’ that the vibrant forward will return to action this term however was unable to provide a guarantee on the matter.
“I am optimistic that we’ll see him before the end but I don’t know how much.”
The return of Pedro Neto would be huge for Wolves
Despite having another season tarnished by injury, when the ‘incredible’ 24-year-old, as lauded by Pep Guardiola, has been available his contribution has been undeniable.
In his first 10 Premier League games of the campaign before getting injured, Neto contributed to eight goals, returning from injury to contribute to another three goals directly before being absent once more.
While his on-field contribution will be good for O’Neil to see again before the close of play in the 2023/24 calendar, given the recent speculation over his future, it could also represent his final games in a Wolves shirt.
Only time will tell if Neto does leave Molineux in the summer, with the primary focus today being the delight to have him back in training.