Jermaine Pennant is 'unlucky' says Wolves boss

The winger arrived in October with a view to kickstarting his career after losing his place at the Britannia Stadium.

But the 29-year-old has had a frustrating time at Molineux, being part of a team that could not win to start with while he has been hampered by an ankle injury.

Now recovered, the former Liverpool wide man recently lost his place to Bjorn Sigurdarson on the right and has been part of a winning side just once in 11 appearances at Wolves, as a substitute against one of his former clubs, Birmingham.

And, although Solbakken has written off Razak Boukari being available next month, Pennant's future could hinge on the availability of on-loan Cologne winger Slawomir Peszko, who has returned to full training.

Solbakken has sympathy for Pennant, however, saying: "Jermaine has been a little bit unlucky.

"The ankle problem affected his match fitness so the next time he got the chance, he had to show he was ready.

"I think he was a little bit unlucky – he wasn't picked for the Bristol City game when we performed well, then we had a very good second half against Birmingham and a good game against Middlesbrough.

"So he's also been a little bit unlucky in not being there at the right moment. He came in when the season turned the wrong way for us so it's not just about him, it's also about team performances.

"He's a little bit frustrated but he's been very positive as a person."

Meanwhile, Solbakken admitted forgotten defender Steven Mouyokolo is as far away as ever from returning to full training from his cruciate knee ligament injury.

The Wolves boss said: "He's more or less the same – it's about getting him injury-free and fit, but he's not training with the team, at the moment."