Molineux news: Fresh update on when Pedro Neto could start for Wolves

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage is ‘unlikely’ to select winger Pedro Neto in his starting lineup anytime soon, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The highly-rated 21-year-old has recently returned from a long-term knee injury but is yet to feature from the off under his new boss despite their ongoing struggles in the final third.

Neto – who is valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt – established himself as one of the most exciting, young attacking talents in the Premier League after arriving at Molineux from Lazio back in August 2019.

Throughout his first two campaigns for Wolves, the Portugal international racked up 10 goals and provided a further 11 assists in 79 appearances across all competitions.

However, Neto suffered a fractured patella in a 1-0 win over Fulham last April and required surgery to help the healing process of the rare injury.

It was initially expected to keep the creative talent out of action for half a year, yet the severity of the issue meant it was actually 10 months before he played a first-team game again.

Neto made his long-awaited comeback against Leicester City when Lage brought him on for the final nine minutes to see out the game, and he was also awarded the final 15 minutes in the defeats to Arsenal and West Ham.

Goals have been an issue for Wolves all season, with their tally of 24 strikes in the Premier League the third-lowest total in the division.

Nevertheless, despite that and the fact they lost valuable ground in the hunt for a top-four finish in their last two fixtures, Jones is not convinced that Lage will be tempted to throw Neto in from the start over the coming weeks.

Arsenal seal DRAMATIC win over Wolves! Full reaction on The Football Terrace…

In an exclusive interview