Wolves boss Nuno confirms Meritan Shabani ACL injury before Watford test

Shabani was stretchered off minutes into his Wolves senior bow on Wednesday night as Nuno's side eventually beat Reading on penalties in the Carabao Cup.

The 20-year-old summer signing from Bayern Munich could be heard screaming in agony as he fell down in an off-the-ball incident, and Nuno confirmed the German has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

An ACL tear is thought to be the most severe of knee injuries, and Shabani – who will have an operation in the next few weeks – could miss the rest of the season.

Bruno Jordao, who was also stretchered off after scoring on his debut against the Royals, has injured his ankle ligaments. He should not be out for as long as Shabani, but such injuries tend to lead to several weeks on the sidelines.

"Shabani, unfortunately, had a serious knee injury, so he's going to be out for a long time," said Nuno.

"Jordao was his ankle, not so serious. Let's see how he does. Not so much time, I hope.

"Shabani is his ACL, so it's a tough injury for the young boy. But he's a strong boy and he'll come back stronger, of course."

Watford come to Molineux tomorrow, and they will be without skipper Troy Deeney.

Nuno, providing an update on the state of his squad going into the clash, without giving names, said: "We have small injuries we have to manage."

He added: "It's a tough challenge again. We try to compete in every single game. We have to go and be ready for it.

"Every game is a chance to improve and perform well. It's a very difficult team with good players, with Quique (Sanchez Flores) in charge – a very good manager. They're a tough opponent for us."