Aït-Nouri, Neto & Bellegarde: Wolves injury news and return dates ahead of Man City match

Wolverhampton Wanderers face a challenging trip to the Etihad this Saturday - and it’s a journey that will be made even more difficult by the potential absence of up to seven players.

Gary O’Neil will be sweating on the fitness of players such as Rayan Aït-Nouri and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, while others, such as Pedro Neto, will almost certainly miss out on the chance to play against Manchester City. Key forwards Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan have, at least, made full recoveries from recent injuries and came through last weekend without issues. We’ve collected all of the latest team news, injury updates and expected return dates for the stricken players below.

Rayan Aït-Nouri

The Algerian left-back was substituted late on in the victory over Luton Town last weekend after picking up an apparent ankle injury. The injury is not believed to be serious, but the defender - who has been linked with a summer move to Chelsea and Arsenal, among others - will be assessed ahead of the weekend. There is no suggestion that he is out for the long term.

Pedro Neto

The Potuguese winger was one of Wolves’ key creative forces before sustaining a serious thigh injury against Fulham back in early March. He has since recovered well enough to return to light training but it is unlikely that he will play against Manchester City - O’Neil said ahead of the Luton game that it was still a “bit too soon” for him, but no official timeline has been provided.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

Another victim of the somewhat costly 2-1 victory over Fulham, Bellegarde picked up a knee injury and hasn’t featured in the two months since. He seems to be closer to full fitness than Neto, however, and has returned to first-team training. He seems unlikely to start but may be ready to make the bench this weekend, subject to a fitness test.

Craig Dawson

The veteran centre-half is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing an operation on what has been reported as an inguinal hernia. O’Neil has told reporters that he “won’t be back,” but he should be ready in time for pre-season ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Santiago Bueno

The Uruguayan was a regular starter under O’Neil prior to sustaining a thigh injury during the recent 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth and missed the Luton game as a result - O’Neil said that he was “hopeful” that the 25-year-old would be available against Manchester City and “extremely confident” he would be available for next weekend’s match against Crystal Palace.

Leon Chiwome

The teenage forward had only just broken into the first team when he picked up a serious ankle injury following a collision in training. O’Neil has confirmed that he won’t be available for the rest of the season as a result, but he should be back in time for pre-season.

Tommy Doyle

One player who will most certainly miss out is on-loan midfielder Tommy Doyle - the 22-year-old is ineligible to face his parent club and as such won’t be involved on Saturday.