Stearman setback on injury front

Wolves defender Richard Stearman has suffered a setback in his bid to continue on the comeback trail – but midfielder Segundo Castillo will be fit to face his former club Everton next week.

Midfielder Andrew Surman is also fit to make his comeback for the reserves away to Villa tomorrow night (7pm).

Stearman has aggravated the injury he suffered in his lower leg, which was left badly bruised in a training ground challenge over two weeks ago.

The 21-year-old would have figured in tomorrow’s second string derby at Villa Park, but won’t now be risked.

Boss Mick McCarthy said: “Richard won’t be playing in the reserves. He just felt it on Friday, so he’ll be having some rehabilitation and we’ll try to get him right for the Everton game.

“I suppose the only problem is he won’t have had a game, and it would have been nice for him to play tomorrow. He was alright having played half a game in the reserves last week, but he’s hurt it again.

“It was more bleeding than anything else.”

Castillo, who missed Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth with a hamstring injury, has travelled to join the Ecuador squad for World Cup qualifiers at home to Uruguay and away to Chile on Saturday and next Wednesday respectively.

McCarthy said: “Segundo is away with the Ecuador squad, and he would have been fit to play for us on Wednesday. He’s travelled, they expect him to be fit and to play the games.

“We don’t really know how much action he’s had, because he came here after pre-season and played a couple of games.

“It was difficult to have that conversation with him, because his English isn’t great and I speak little or no Ecuadorian!

“But he said he was fine and he looked good – against Sunderland he was great in the first-half.”

Surman has recovered from a jarred knee, sustained the same day Stearman got injured.

The manager said: “He trained yesterday and he’ll be playing tomorrow. The two of them got injured on the same day and Stearman looked the more serious at the time. He’s just been unfortunate in not having played much in the Premier League so far.

“And Matt Jarvis has played every game, which hasn’t helped his cause.”

See Also: