Fortunately for Wolves, Matheus Nunes’ injury doesn’t look to be as bad as first feared, with reports from Portugal suggesting that he could be fit for this weekend’s game against Brighton.
What’s the word?
The Portuguese midfielder was forced off in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Brentford with a shoulder problem, with Steve Davis unsure of how long it would keep him out following the game.
He said: “I’m not sure of the outcome but he fell heavily on the shoulder. I haven’t spoken to medical about it but they will let me know if there’s any period that he’s going to be out.”
However, with the midfielder’s World Cup hopes potentially at risk, Portuguese news outlet A Bola were quick to report yesterday that he shouldn’t be missing out on the plane to Qatar.
Indeed, they say the 24-year-old’s injury was simply an impact one rather than anything more damaging and he should be fit to face the Seagulls on Saturday.
Davis will love it
Although it has been a difficult start to life at Molineux for Nunes, with no goals and just one assist to his name thus far, the former Sporting Lisbon man has still been a regular in the first team and has started 11 of the Old Gold’s 13 games in the top flight so far this season.
Is this a big boost for Wolves?
Yes
No
It is difficult to blame the summer arrival for Wolves’ shocking form in the top flight so far this term but fans will have still expected more from their club-record arrival, especially given his impressive reputation at Sporting Lisbon.
The young midfielder looked “special” – in the words of Pedro Alves – during his time with the Liga NOS side and even earned praise from Pep Guardiola, who labelled him one of the best players in the world after he came up against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Unfortunately for Wolves, Nunes is yet to show anywhere near the level of form that saw him earn a superb 7.08 rating from WhoScored for his performances with Sporting last season, as he has registered just a 6.50 average so far in 2022/23.
Despite this, Davies will still love that the £85k-per-week star isn’t sidelined for too long, particularly with his side already injury stricken with the likes of Raul Jimenez and Sasa Kalajdzic missing.
Once the Portuguese midfielder adapts to the demands of Premier League football, he will surely become a star player for the Old Gold in their battle against relegation. Indeed, the World Cup hopeful is clearly a vital cog in their armoury already, having started every single game he’s been available for since making the move to English football.
