Bruno Lage's Wolves fears realised in first game without Adama Traore

In the space of six weeks, one of the Premier League’s strongest wide departments has been ravaged by fitness issues and a mid-season transfer Wolverhampton Wanderers could live to regret.

When Wolves started their five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League at Brighton on December 15, Bruno Lage had his four wingers in tow.

Hwang Hee-chan, Daniel Podence and Francisco Trincao started the game, before Adama Traore was needed to replace Hwang due to an injury which has kept the South Korean on the sidelines ever since.

Wolves have coped without Hwang, but Lage was forced to take on Norwich City in the FA Cup with just one of those aforementioned wingers.

Traore has of course now left Wolves to join Barcelona, on loan with a view to a permanent switch, while a positive Covid-19 test ruled Trincao out of the game.

Trincao will return, as will Hwang in the coming weeks - and Lage believes Pedro Neto isn’t far away from his long-awaited comeback either.

But Lage will no longer be able to turn around to his bench and see one of football’s best game-changers. Barcelona boss Xavi will now have that luxury instead.

New signing Chiquinho - a 22-year-old winger with 15 appearances in Portugal’s top flight to his name - has taken Traore’s place in the squad. But he most certainly isn’t viewed as a direct replacement for the rapid Spaniard.

Lage’s refusal to use Chiquinho from the start against Norwich led to Wolves playing a 3-5-2 formation on home soil, and midfielder Leander Dendoncker pushing forward to provide attacking support to Podence and Fabio Silva.

“It’s important to understand that I cannot ask Chiquinho to do the same things Adama was doing, especially in the last month,” Lage explained on Friday.

“In the last