Speaking on the latest edition of The Athletic’s The Molineux View podcast, Tim Spiers has offered his views on all things Wolverhampton Wanderers.
One of the topics that Spiers spent some time on was Marcal and his availability record.
The Brazilian is currently out with a small injury that has seen Romain Saiss and Rayan Ait-Nouri fill in for him this season at left wing-back, with Jonny Otto out injured.
This led Spiers to discuss Marcal’s availability record both at Wolves and before he moved to Molineux.
It seems that Spiers has not been impressed with Marcal’s availability and thinks that the number of injuries he picks up is unusual for a Wolves player.
He said: “His availability record is horrendous – for the past couple of years, he’s been suspended an awful lot, picks up a lot of red cards.
“He has got a history going back two, three, four years of regularly picking up muscle injuries.
“Now, Wolves would have thought that, with the expertise they’ve got in the medical department, that they could improve that record.
“But, two injuries already, very unlike a Wolves player, and without Ait-Nouri, they would be a bit stuck.”
Do you think Spiers is right about Marcal?
No, he hasn't missed that many games
Yes, he is right
TIF Thoughts on Marcal and Spiers’ view on him…
If you look at Marcal’s injury record, you will see that he has missed three games this season and was taken off early in just his second start in the home game against Manchester City in September.
Meanwhile, according to Transfermarkt, before he moved to Molineux, he has suffered five injuries in his career, which have seen him miss 16 games in total.
So, you can see why the concerns are there from a Wolves perspective.
However, since Marcal joined Wolves, he has made four appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, which suggests that he plays when he is fit.
However, after a stunning Premier League debut from Ait-Nouri, maybe the Brazilian will face a bit more competition for his place when he is fit.
What is clear, though, is that Spiers thinks that Marcal should be available for his club more often than he has been so far.