Wolves wing-back set for spell on sidelines after surgery

The Express & Star understands that Gomes had surgery for his groin injury earlier this week and he could miss up to four months of Premier League action.

Any earlier return - which could be as little as eight to 12 weeks - would depend on his recovery from the surgery and his rehabilitation as he aims to get back on the pitch as soon as possible.

Gomes' absence will come as a blow to Wolves, who are seeking a new head coach following the sacking of Vitor Pereira in an attempt to save themselves from relegation this season.

The Portuguese under-21 international has scored twice this season - once in the Carabao Cup and once in the top flight - in nine appearances.

He earned himself a starting berth at wing-back earlier in the campaign but lost his place again, until he was recalled to start against Sunderland and Burnley in a more attacking role.

Gomes put in some impressive displays, despite the team's overall struggles, and his loss to injury impacts a Wolves team that is already lacking speed and creativity.

He came on to replace Matt Doherty against Chelsea, who suffered a knee injury of his own, and is likely to be sidelined for a couple of weeks according to head of high performance Phil Hayward.

When asked about the severity of Gomes and Doherty's injuries before the defeat to Fulham at the weekend - which was Pereira's last in charge - the former head coach was coy.

Pereira said: "Rodrigo and Doherty are out of the game.

"They are in evaluation, doing examinations, but we need to wait.

"For this game they are completely out, and maybe for the next game."

Wolves signed Gomes in June 2024 for around £12.7million and he managed three goals in 28 games in all competitions.

He started the season under Gary O'Neil, who this week pulled out of the race to make a shock return to Wolves to replace Pereira.

Wolves are speaking to a number of candidates for the job, many of whom are British, however it is expected that Jorge Mendes' Gestifute agency will suggest names for club chairman Jeff Shi to consider, with former Benfica and Egypt boss Rui Vitoria among the names linked.

Four of the last five Wolves managers have been Gestifute clients and Mendes maintains a strong relationship with Shi.

Shi and his football leadership team are assessing all of the available and interested candidates before making a decison.

That leadership team no longer includes director of professional football Domenico Teti, who has left the club by mutual consent.

His replacement could be made either internally or externally in a further shake-up behind the scenes.