Nuno Espirito Santo has backed Pedro Neto to return stronger than before after suffering a broken kneecap that will rule him out of Euro 2020.
The Wolves forward, who has been his club’s best player this term, sustained the damage in last Friday’s 1-0 win at Fulham and is expected to be sidelined until the early part of next season, at the earliest.
Wolves have had huge problems with injuries this season. Raul Jimenez has not played since fracturing his skull at Arsenal last November, while Willy Boly, Leander Dendoncker and Daniel Podence have all had significant spells on the sidelines.
‘It’s a serious injury,’ said Nuno. ‘It’s a tough moment for Pedro but he will return stronger. He is doing well.
‘When players face tough moments they have to deal well with them to prepare themselves for the future. He is a very determined boy.
‘It is a period where he cannot compete but it won’t stop him from working. It’s a matter of finding the right things to do.
'You can make the time useful, preparing other aspects, we can work on his upper body, we can work on many things during the period he recovers from surgery.’
Meanwhile, Wolves’ out-of-favour wing-back Ruben Vinagre is a summer target for Benfica.
The Portuguese player is on loan with FC Famalicao in his homeland after an original season-long loan arrangement with Olympiakos was cut short in January.
Wolves are likely to listen to offers for Vinagre as they look to regenerate their own squad for the coming campaign, with a forward and an athletic central midfielder high on their list of priorities.