Boost confirmed as “fantastic” Wolves star returns to squad vs Forest

Come the end of the season, it will be hard to argue against Gary O’Neil’s nomination for Manager of the Year should it deservedly come his way. The former Bournemouth boss has taken Wolverhampton Wanderers from relegation contenders to the comforts of mid-table and he may not be done there, with one star’s return set to provide his side with a major boost in the unlikely quest for European football.

Wolves injury news

Whilst the headlines have been focused on Newcastle United’s mounting injury list, Wolves have quietly been enduring struggles of their own on that front, resulting in a poor run of form. O’Neil cut a frustrated figure after his side’s loss against Aston Villa a couple of weeks ago, admitting that without injuries, the 2-0 defeat could have ended differently.

O’Neil told the official Wolves website: “We were ahead on loads of things, more shots, more possession, higher xG away to Aston Villa with the attacking players we have missing, it makes a huge difference today.

“Let’s not do any disservice to the ones who played because they gave everything and had some good moments. But when you have Pedro Neto, Cunha, Bellegarde and Channy [Hwang] to some of those moments with the xG we had, I’m sure we’d have converted higher.”

Now, he is finally set to see some of his frustrations come to an end. As revealed by O’Neil via Liam Keen, Hwang Hee-chan is set to be back in the Wolves squad for today’s game against Nottingham Forest. The striker will be hoping to pick up where he left off before his injury and instantly get back in the goals.

The South Korean missed the last five games for Wolves, in which they endured a run of just one win, three defeats and two draws to highlight just how important he is to O’Neil’s side. His return comes at the worst time for Nottingham Forest, however, given their current fight for survival.

“Fantastic” Hwang the key for Wolves

Even if Hwang does not start from the off, the fact that Wolves have such a player to introduce from the bench hands them a major boost. With 11 goals to his name in 24 appearances for Wolves this season, there are not many outside of the Premier League’s top six who have been as clinical as the forward has been in the current campaign.

Now, with seven games to go, he has the chance to take Wolves into the top-half and take his own goals tally ever closer to the very best players that English football has to offer. Having already outscored the likes of Diogo Jota, Julian Alvarez and Rasmus Hojlund so far this season, Hwang will look to make his mark once more against Forest.