GARY O’NEIL has revealed that several members of his Wolves side have been suffering with a virus.
The Premier League strugglers are set to host Liverpool at Molineux on Saturday evening.
O’Neil’s men are yet to win this season, and have picked up just one point from their opening five matches.
The former Bournemouth boss will be desperate to grab three points on Saturday, although an already daunting task in facing Liverpool has been made even trickier by far from ideal preparations.
Speaking on the eve of the match, O’Neil, 41, revealed: “There’s quite a bit of illness actually.
“A few will need a check tomorrow on how they’re feeling – we just had a little bit of a virus going around.
“Quite a few missed training today so we’ll see how we are tomorrow.
“We have a few issues but looking forward to getting out there and make it as difficult as possible for Liverpool.
“Some lads will struggle for tomorrow but that’s not a definite, sometimes these things can clear up in 24 hours.
“We are hopeful that the guys with the virus will be fine and 100 per cent available for tomorrow. But as the doctor told me, it’s hard to give a definitive answer.”
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Wolves were dealt a huge blow earlier this week, when it was confirmed that Yerson Mosquera will be missing for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
The defender, 23, sustained the issue late on against Aston Villa last week.
Speaking about Mosquera’s injury, O’Neil said: “He’s a great kid, so I’m absolutely devastated for him because of his energy and his life.
“No matter how things go each week, he gives absolutely everything, and he always attacks things and does things in the right way.
“A big loss to us from that point of view. He was showing signs that he was capable of playing at the level we were hoping.
“So, from a team and a squad point of view, a big blow to us, obviously, but with that brings opportunity for others.
“Alfie Pond, for instance, gets a step closer. A boy that was obviously out on loan last year at Stockport, played for us in the cup at Brighton, and is extremely excited this week that he’s around it and there’s a chance of featuring in Premier League games.
“I am absolutely gutted for Yerson, and it’s a blow to the group and where we are, but we have a real good mentality inside the place that we don’t let things like that stop what we’re trying to do.
“We’re always going to suffer setbacks, this is a big one, especially for Yerson personally, but we will find a way to make sure that we’re still capable of fighting and picking up points.”
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