Centre back is top of Wolves boss Bruno Lage’s list

Following the latest injury to summer signing Yerson Mosquera – who has undergone surgery on a hamstring injury and will be out for four to five months – Wolves’ already small squad has been further depleted.

Willy Boly has yet to play in the Premier League this season after overcoming a hamstring issue of his own, while Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Max Kilman have started in the back three.

Wolves had a bid rejected by Lille for defender Sven Botman in the summer, although the Dutchman was understood to be keen on a move to Molineux. And with Moroccan captain Saiss and Ivory Coast defender Boly likely to be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations at the end of the year, Lage has admitted he will need to find a fix for their lack of senior centre-backs.

He said: “With that question, you can understand why I spend too much time here in the building because I need to find solutions.

“Yerson is a wonderful kid and every time has a big smile on his face. He gave us a lot of energy when he arrived on the first day.

“I’m not happy with what happened with him, he deserved a lot (more) and we are here waiting for him when he recovers, to give him the chance he deserves. We know since the beginning that on December 20 we will miss our players to Africa Cup of Nations. That’s why I spend too much time here (at Compton) to find the best solutions. For now we have time to wait until December.”