Lemina, Hwang & Johnstone: Wolves injury news and potential return dates ahead of Crystal Palace

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The latest Wolves injury news and potential return dates ahead of the Crystal Palace game.

Wolves are showing signs of life, and their hard-fought point against Brighton is evidence that they can turn things around. An early-season drop in form means Gary O'Neil’s side doesn’t have the distraction of the League Cup, so by the weekend, they’ll have had a full week of training—unlike Palace, who are also struggling but must face Aston Villa before turning their attention to the visit to Molineux.

Last weekend, Wolves showed a resilient fighting spirit that likely delighted their manager, and the signs were there even when they nearly held Manchester City to a draw before a late header from John Stones denied them what would have been a valuable point.

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Ahead of what could be a very important game for both clubs, here’s a list of injured Wolves players and their potential return dates:

Sam Johnstone

He’s missed the last few games, but the manager says he’s back in training. He told reporters: "Sam has trained this week, and we will see where he is before making a call tomorrow."

Potential return: 02/11/2024

Mario Lemina

Lemina picked up a minor calf issue but is on his way back. O'Neil said: “Mario has a slight issue with his calf. I think he'll be OK next week; I don't think it's a big one.”

Potential return: Early November 2024

Hee-Chan Hwang

The South Korean striker was massive for Wolves last season, and he’s been a big miss, especially with Pedro Neto now at Chelsea. While he can't return anytime soon, O'Neil hinted he could be back next month: “It's not nothing; there's something there. He injured a ligament on the inside of his ankle, but from now, it's probably a couple to a few weeks—nothing overly long.”

Potential return: November 2024

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Bastien Meupiyou Menadjou

It’s been a long road, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel for the French centre-back. O'Neil says he’s hoping to have him back in training next week: “Hopefully, Bastien will train with the group next week.”

Potential return: November 2024

Yerson Mosquera

Mosquera's injury has been a huge blow to Wolves, and there is still no return date in sight. However, the club is determined not to rush his recovery. Manager Gary O'Neil said: “It’s really early days, and I don’t want to put a definitive time scale on it, but everything went very well with the surgery. Over the next days and weeks, we’ll start to map out what the rehab looks like.”

Potential return: January 2025

Sasa Kalajdzic

Kalajdzic is another long-term knee injury case who is working his way back to full fitness. He’s among the players highlighted on the club's website as making progress toward a return. O'Neil, however, warned that, like Mosquera, they wouldn’t rush him back: “He's back on the grass, which is great for him. He's now starting to get to the more functional aspects of his rehab. Over the next few months, we'll integrate more ball work and hopefully get him back into training and matches in the not-too-distant future.”

Potential return: January 2025

Boubacar Traore

The Malian midfielder is still on crutches but is expected to be back on the grass before the end of the year. One reason there is sympathy for O'Neil is the number of knee injuries plaguing his squad. With a thin squad to begin with, having top players sidelined is a serious challenge. The Wolves manager provided a positive update on Traore last week, stating: “Boubacar is still out—on crutches at the moment. He had a repair to the joint surface in his knee and will probably be out until around Christmas.”

Potential return: December 2024

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