Neves, Podence, Kilman: Latest on Wolves injury list ahead of crunch Brighton clash

Ruben Neves is ahead of schedule and Bruno Lage plans to reintroduce him to training with Wolverhampton Wanderers this week.

The talismanic midfielder hasn’t played for Wolves since suffering a knee injury during the first half of the controversial 3-2 defeat to Leeds United on March 18. Medical examinations ruled Neves out until May, but the 25-year-old now could be available for Wolves’ final five fixtures.

Pictures of Neves in light training at Wolves’ Compton Park training base were released last week and Lage expects him to rejoin his teammates this week. Speaking about Neves at last week’s press conference, Lage said: “The plan is (for him) to start working with the team next week. Afterwards we will see what he can do, it depends on him.”

If Neves comes through training unscathed, he could be considered for selection for Wolves’ crunch clash with Brighton at Molineux on Saturday. With games against the top three to come, Wolves must beat Brighton to keep their hopes of a top-six finish alive.

Neves was key to Wolves’ 1-0 win at Brighton in December as he produced a sumptuous assist for Romain Saiss’s winning goal. Neves has four goals and two assists in the Premier League this season and Wolves missed him in defeats to Newcastle and Burnley.

The situations of Max Kilman and Daniel Podence are less clear-cut. Kilman limped out of an open training session on Wednesday, meaning he missed the trip to Burnley on Sunday.

Lage wasn’t able to give a timeframe for Kilman’s recovery, saying the medical team ‘need time’ to understand the severity of it. Podence, meanwhile, has missed two weeks of training due to a foot injury.

“Daniel has some pain on his toe and doesn’t feel comfortable working with the ball,” said Lage.