Wolves youngster Dion Sanderson is set to be recalled from his loan spell at Championship side Birmingham City, according to journalist John Percy.
The Lowdown: Sanderson shines on loan
The 22-year-old moved to the Blues on a temporary basis last summer in order to earn regular playing time outside of the Premier League.
Sanderson has impressed during his time at St Andrew’s, making 14 Championship starts and winning 2.4 aerial duels per game – only Romain Saiss with 2.6 has bettered that figure at Molineux this term.
While the young defender was expected to be on loan at Birmingham for the entirety of the 2021/22 season, it now looks as though that won’t be the case.
The Latest: Youngster set for Wolves return
According to The Telegraph’s Percy, who shared a link to his article via Twitter, Sanderson will be recalled imminently in order to bolster the depth in Bruno Lage’s squad between now and the end of the campaign.
The defender has just one first-team appearance to his name for Wolves, which came against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup back in 2019/20.
The Verdict: Sensible move
With Saiss now on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Morocco, it makes perfect sense for Lage to bring Sanderson back into the fold, with the youngster hailed as ‘an absolute Rolls-Royce’ by Sunderland manager Lee Johnson during an impressive loan spell at the Stadium of Light last season.
Whether or not he is thrown straight into the team remains to be seen – it would perhaps be a surprise if he is, given his total lack of Premier League experience – but it is vital to have defensive cover.
It could even be the case that Lage goes to a back four for a few weeks rather than his favoured three, which would see Max Kilman and Conor Coady partnering one another in defence. It would be a big change in formation, though, making it a risk at a key point in the season.
In other news, Luke Hatfield has made a key Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.