Express & Star

Steve Hodge called in to put Wolves' 'outcasts' through their paces

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Steve Hodge has been drafted in to oversee Wolves' 'bomb squad', it emerged today.

Hodge, the 51-year-old former Nottingham Forest, Villa, Tottenham and England winger, arrived this week to assist with coaching the players deemed surplus to requirements by boss Kenny Jackett.

Wolves are currently without coaches at Under-21 and Under-18 level after a restructure earlier this summer which saw Steve Weaver and Mick Halsall depart.

Hodge, who played briefly under Jackett and Graham Taylor at Watford in 1995-96, is currently putting Roger Johnson, Jamie O'Hara, Tongo Doumbia, Razak Boukari and freed left-back George Elokobi, who has been allowed to train at Wolves, through their paces after the first-team and development squad have departed.

Kevin Doyle and Stephen Ward, who seem likely to join them, are due to report back on Monday.

Youth coach Sean Parrish is currently looking after Wolves' Under-21s at present.

Former left-sided midfielder Hodge, who famously swapped shirts with Argentina's Diego Maradona after his 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup, started his coaching career looking after Forest's academy Under-14s and was appointed Notts County's development squad manager last season.

It's understood Hodge is helping out on a temporary basis at present while the 'outcasts' are still at Wolves, but it's not known how long he will be at the club for.

Wolves were carrying out interviews for the coaching positions yesterday.