Vokes heads for Coventry loan

Sam Vokes was today set to seal a loan move to Coventry as fellow Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo returned to full training.

Sky Blues sources confirmed Vokes is the striker to boost their front line and the Wales international was expected at the Ricoh Arena to sign a deal until January.

Coventry, who almost snatched Vokes before the transfer window shut last month, won the battle to sign the 19-year-old after beating off interest from a host of rival Championship clubs including Derby, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Watford, Cardiff, Doncaster and Swansea.

McCarthy confirmed the player’s departure, if not the club he was joining, saying: “He’s going out on loan. I know where he’s going, but I don’t talk about anyone else’s business, unless they’ve said.”

McCarthy only allowed Vokes to leave when Wolves had four fit strikers, and the return of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, the £1.8m arrival of Stefan Maierhofer and the impending availability of Iwelumo triggered his temporary exit.

Wolves have insisted Vokes gets regular football and he will compete with seven-goal duo Clinton Morrison and Leon Best and former Wolves man Freddy Eastwood for a place.

Meanwhile, Iwelumo could return in the reserve game against Chelsea at Telford next Tuesday after rejoining full training yesterday for the first time since July after a broken bone in his foot.

“He trained a bit with us yesterday, but we had to send him in when we started the proper game,” said the boss. “I’m not worried about his fitness, it was just his injury.”

McCarthy confirmed the respective ankle and knee injuries to Richard Stearman and Andrew Surman aren’t as bad as first feared.

“Stearman has a badly bruised leg and he’s having scan today. There’s no break there because we’ve had it x-rayed,” he said.

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