Wolves winger Geoffrey Mujangi Bia has admitted he is still ‘a long way’ from challenging for a Premier League place after making his first appearance of the season.

The Belgium international was a substitute in the 4-2 extra-time win over Notts County in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, playing an hour after coming off the bench.

Mujangi Bia was making his comeback after a thigh injury but admits he still needs to be sharper if he is to push for a place.

He said: “There’s still a long way to go for me to be challenging for the first team in the league. It’s been a long time since I’ve played a first team game.

“I don’t think I’m ready yet and I need to carry on working hard.

“I want to be 100 per cent so I’m able to contribute to the team.”

Mujangi Bia admits he has plenty of graft to do in training and wants to be firing on all cylinders before he can be considered by manager Mick McCarthy.

He said: “I’m still working on my fitness and playing more with the reserves and carrying on listening and learning from the gaffer and assistant boss Terry Connor.

“Hopefully it will not take long for me to be challenging but I still need more sharpness.

“I want to know I can make an impact if I get a chance.”

But the 21-year-old believes games like the Magpies clash will accelerate his chances of staying in the senior frame.

Not only did it help him gain experience, but Mujangi Bia feels playing in a competitive game will be useful in building up that match sharpness.

The on-loan Charleroi wide man said: “It was great for me to get back out there on Tuesday night and play at Molineux again.

“I played 60 minutes for the first team with extra-time and physically I felt good.

“At first it’s a case of trying to find your mark but I felt I got better the longer it went on, and I could have scored with a header from Steven Fletcher’s cross.

“It’s been frustrating for me but injuries are part of football. I’ve had great help from the medical department in coming up with extra exercises to try to prevent more injuries.

“It seems to be working, which is good news.”