Wolves opening fixture against Man City becomes more daunting with each passing day.
It’s obvious Wolves have some difficulty with starting the season well, as evidenced by the solitary August win on their record since returning to the top-flight seven years ago.
There are still many questions to be answered about the Wolves squad, and one player is making it clear that Vitor Pereira has a decision to make.
Yerson Mosquera prepared to start against Man City after months out injured
After a season on the sidelines, Colombian centre-back Yerson Mosquera is making his return to the Premier League.
Fans were distraught when the defender went down with a nasty knee injury almost a year ago. Mosquera ruptured his ACL and MCL, and is just now getting back to full fitness.
Yerson Mosquera of Wolverhampton Wanderers reacts on the floor with a injury during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
A recent update suggested Mosquera was still in recovery, but he has now hinted that he will be ready to go at the weekend.
Speaking to E&S, Mosquera was unbothered by the challenge of competing with Matt Doherty for the starting spot, saying: “It’s really good because we have a good, like we say in Spanish, ‘batalla sana’, a good battle. I know I have good players in my position.”
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But the 24-year-old backs himself, and makes it clear that he’s ready to get back in contention: “We have a good challenge in the group and they know I’m here, I’m prepared to start in the first XI. My point is work hard to make it harder for them.”
Pereira has many areas in the squad where options are lacking, so having two starter-quality players who are willing to battle for their position will be a nice change.
Yerson Mosquera should be able to break back into the Wolves starting XI
As great a job as Doherty has done in a new role, Mosquera should be the preferred option with everything else equal.
A stat graphic comparing Matt Doherty and Yerson Mosquera.
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He is a more dominant presence and would be better equipped to deal with bulky centre-forwards like Erling Haaland or Chris Wood.
Provided there are no more complications with his knee, he should break back into the first team fairly quickly, but whether that happens in time for the weekend remains to be seen.
Pereira will want to field his strongest possible defence against a City side who will be looking to make a statement after their third-place ‘disaster’ of a season.