Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has revealed Pedro Neto will be sidelined until after the upcoming international break with a hamstring injury.
The Portuguese international has been Wolves' standout performer in the Premier League this season. Seven assists placed him top of the charts in the division, with reports suggesting Arsenal could make an approach in January.
Mikel Arteta has stressed the importance of having "two quality players per position" and, as it stands, Bukayo Saka is the only natural right-sided attacker in the elite bracket. The Gunners played Gabriel Jesus out wide when the England star was injured in recent weeks.
Neto responded to the rumours earlier this week by insisting he is happy at Wolves but that did little to silence suggestions that a £40million could be on the cards. What has dampened the mood, however, is the injury he picked up against Newcastle United last weekend.
The winger was stretchered off in the closing stages of the 2-2 draw with what looked like a serious hamstring issue. Injuries have hampered Neto’s progress in recent years but his recent form made many believe he had overcome those struggles.
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Initial reports suggested he could return before the new year and, ahead of their trip to Sheffield United this weekend, Wolves boss O’Neil echoed those claims. The manager said: "He [Neto] won't be available this weekend or next weekend and then we'll go into the international break and see how he's healing.
"I don't want to put too much focus on it. He's been incredible this season but there are a lot of other players in a really good space. So we need to keep pushing, keep the momentum going and make sure when Pedro comes back we're still in a good spot."
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