WATCH FOR ALL THE KEY POINTS FROM GARY O'NEIL'S PRESS CONFERENCE AS WOLVES HEAD TO VILLA PARK
Gary O’Neil has been speaking to the media before Wolves’ trip to Aston Villa on Saturday in the Premier League.
Here are the main lines from his news conference:
He dismissed recent reports linking him to a coaching role at Manchester United: “There’s no truth in it – I don’t know where it came from. Growing up, Liverpool and Manchester felt like special clubs, so firstly it’s an honour to be linked. But all of my focus is on a three-game Premier League week and how we can help the group. I’m a head coach and I’m always going to be a head coach.”
When asked about the possibility of signing a new contract at Molineux, O’Neil said he is going to discuss his future with the club in the summer.
On the prospect of qualifying for European football: “Europe was never a target with what the club had to go through in the summer. Because we’re so close to it we have to discuss it. We understand the challenges surrounding it. It would be an unbelievable achievement.”
He confirmed Craig Dawson and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde remain unavailable: “Both aren’t back with the group yet. Their injuries aren’t clear ones where you get a clear time frame. Craig is doing better – hopefully he’ll be back with the group next week for training. We’re waiting for Bellegarde’s knee to settle before we push him on. We’re hoping it would settle quicker than it has. There’s no real time frame on him yet.”
On the timeframe for Hwang Hee-chan’s return: “He may be able to push ahead of [the estimated three-week return date]. He’s on the grass and working hard. He’s not too far away so hopefully he shave a bit off that three weeks.”
It will be a longer time before Pedro Neto appears in a Wolves shirt again: “I think he’ll be back around the end of the season. He has a big summer with the Euros that he’s keen to get back for. We won’t let the fixture list dictate when he’s back. He’s working very hard and is keen to get back as quickly as possible.”
High-flying opponents Villa have their own share of injury issues: “I think I’ve got a good idea of what they’ll look like – definitely shape-wise and probably personnel-wise. They still have incredible players available. The backline is going to be strong. It will be a really tough test. It’s an opportunity to put another memorable result on the board.”
On their free-scoring striker Ollie Watkins: “I’m not sure when he made the improvement, but when I look at his all-round game, it’s come on an awful lot. He can be a threat in behind and is good in to feet now. He’s a really big goal threat as a really good number nine playing in a good team. He’s done very well and looks like an accomplished Premier League striker now.”