Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil has provided a worrying injury update on defender Yerson Mosquera following their defeat to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday.
They sit rock bottom of the standings after five games with just a single point, level with Everton on goal difference. They are yet to win a game and their one draw came against Nottingham Forest at the end of last month.
On Saturday, Wolves were ahead for most of the game after Matheus Cunha opened the scoring. However, three late goals from Villa after the 70-minute mark inflicted another disappointing defeat on O’Neil’s side.
O’Neil gives concerning injury update
Yerson Mosquera was substituted late on
To add insult to injury, it appears Wolves have been handed a significant injury blow after Saturday’s loss. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Mosquera was forced off on a stretcher with an injury following a collision with Villa’s Morgan Rogers when the score was still 1-1.
Speaking after the final whistle, O’Neil confirmed they don’t know the full extent of the defender’s injury, but the early signs do not look good. He added it appears to be a potential knee problem and The Athletic have since confirmed he will have a scan next week.
“We have no real information, but it just doesn’t look good at this moment,
“It was obviously a big blow in the game for us with the time it came. And it would be a big blow for us to lose him for a significant amount of time.
“He plays in an area of the pitch that we are already short in and he was performing at a very high level for us in that area. Off the back of the back of the transfer window closing, it’s not an area that we could afford to lose someone in.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as feared, but it’s not good at this moment.”
| Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stat: | Aston Villa | Wolves |
| Possession | 53% | 47% |
| Expected goals | 0.99 | 0.50 |
| Big chances | 5 | 0 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 4 |
| Big chances scored | 3 | 0 |
| Final third entries | 58 | 25 |
O’Neil warned his squad is already short in their defensive ranks as they did not sign a replacement during the transfer window. Mosquera has started all five of Wolves’ league matches so far this season, so his absence will be sorely felt if he is to spend any amount of time on the sidelines.
Mosquera’s return from a loan spell at Villarreal bolstered the club’s defensive ranks in the summer, while they also signed Bastien Meupiyou from French side Nantes. However, at just 18 years of age, the youngster may not be ready to step into the first team fold.
O’Neil says they failed to cope with Villa
The manager delivered his verdict post-match
Injury aside, it was a damning result for Wolves, having dropped points from a winning position. Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, O’Neil admitted the game got away from his team late on, and they struggled to cope with the pressure placed upon them.
Wolves had, on the whole, coped well with Villa’s attacking threat. That was until the hosts made changes and carried out somewhat of a late onslaught to turn the game on its head.
O’Neil said:
“We failed to cope when we came under some pressure, which is obviously going to come when away from home. The pressure was always going to arrive and there are some key moments in that second half around winning tackles and dealing with crosses that end up costing you.
“It wasn’t like they were banging the door down, but there were a couple of situations, if we want to compete with Villa, we have to do better with. The game gets away from us and we end up leaving with nothing.”
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