Wolves duo Leander Dendoncker and Kortney Hause were both suffering from illness which led to Max Kilman’s shock inclusion among the first team squad for their clash against Fulham, according to journalist Tim Spiers.
The Express and Star reporter claims on his personal Twitter account that the senior duo were both worryingly struck down with an illness for the Boxing Day showdown at Craven Cottage, leaving 21-year-old Kilman to make his first appearance on the bench for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
I gather Dendoncker and Hause are both ill today, hence Kilman's surprise inclusion
— Tim Spiers (@TimSpiers) December 26, 2018
Dendoncker and Hause have been very much of the fringes of the Wolves team this season, struggling to make too many appearances between them, but their illnesses mean that Nuno is delving deep into his pool of available options.
Opinion
This shows a worrying lack of strength in depth for Wolves and it will be something that the club might well want to explore come the January transfer window. This is the sort of game that the club will be targeting as one that is very much winnable but to have two players struck down by illness – even those on the fringes of the senior side – will not help their cause. All it takes is for one first teamer to find themselves injured or sent off and the young talent with no senior experience to his name will be thrown into the deep end of Premier League football. That is not a situation that Nuno will want and one which he will be crossing his fingers does not come up either against Fulham or for the rest of the festive season. Still, it gives Kilman his shot at proving himself worthy of keeping his place among the rest of the senior outfit and it could be the first step on the way to a promising career at Molineux.