Wolves have ‘major’ Jorgen Strand Larsen worry after ‘serious’ injury blow
Wolves have endured a dreadful start to the season so far and are at risk of becoming cut off in the fight for survival after just eight games.
Vitor Pereira‘s side lost 2-0 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light after Nordi Mukiele put the hosts 1-0 up, and Ladislav Krejci’s own-goal condemned them to defeat.
It continues a worrying trend for Wolves, who remains rock bottom of the Premier League without a single win and having picked up just two points.
They are now five points adrift of Burnley in 17th, despite still being in the early stages of the new season, but many at Molineux are now becoming concerned.
Alongside their dismal form, another source of concern has been the performances of their star players, including the likes of Joao Gomes and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Jorgen Strand Larsen injury concern emerges at Wolves
Pereira confirmed [via Wolves’ official website] that Strand Larsen has been struggling with a reoccurring achilles injury and is rarely training in between games.
That issue has now become a “major” concern for Wolves as they attempt to balance the risk that they could lose a crucial player against their need to pick up points.
That is according to former Man United and Sunderland chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that playing through the injury could result in a “serious” blow if the issues persist.
“I think Wolves have enough talent in their team to do better than they are,” he told Football Insider.
“I just don’t see the resilience in there which most of the time you need if you’re trying to pull yourselves out of a position at the bottom of the table.
“Even their reliable players from last season aren’t quit at it, for whatever reason.
“There’s been a lot of talk about Strand Larsen and his performances, whether he’s fit or not.
“The manager came out and said he’s been playing through an injury and is hardly training between games, but that’s not a good situation to be in.
“That should be a major worry for Wolves, because they’re not going to get the best out of him and are putting him at risk of making that injury more serious.
“I understand they need their best players on the pitch given the situation they’re in, but it’s not worth the risk of making things worse and all of a sudden he’s out for months.
“If that happened, it would be a massive blow and they’d be in an even worse position.
“I think they might have to bite the bullet on that and let him rest and recover, and in the meantime somebody will have to fill in for him up front.”
Strand Larsen has yet to score a goal in the Premier League so far this season, and averages 0.5 shots on target per game, further highlighting Wolves’ struggles. [Sofascore]
Vitor Pereira at risk of the sack after Wolves’ dismal form
While Wolves remain determined to turn around their recent form, there is a growing feeling that Pereira may be sacked if results continue in their current vein.
Brown told Football Insider on 20 October that Wolves must win against Burnley next weekend to save the manager’s job, otherwise they risk being cut adrift.
Despite having picked up some impressive points and suffered late equalisers against both Brighton and Tottenham, doubts about their recent results are lingering.
Pereira signed a new deal at Molinuex last month, which seemed to be a vote of confidence from the board, and they remain determined to stick by their man as things stand.
However, with two crucial Premier League fixtures against Burnley and Fulham coming up, failure to win either game will likely result in his dismissal.
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