Express & Star

Steve Bull: Wolves defender Jonny must be cursing his luck

I would like to take this opportunity to wish Jonny Castro Otto all the best after cruelly suffering another serious knee injury.

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You have to feel really sorry for him as he had worked so hard to return from doing his anterior cruciate ligament the first time.

He was getting back to the old Jonny, so for it to happen again, in training, he will be cursing his luck.

Knowing he needs surgery and will spend another several months out, of course he will be deflated.

But, I am also sure he will have all the right people around him at Wolves, supporting him and telling him ‘if you can do it once, you can do it again and come back stronger’.

Although I had some knee troubles during my career, fortunately it was mainly just wear and tear for me.

It was cartilage issues that kept me out for around six to eight weeks.

But even then, I was itching to get back out on the pitch and Jonny will be exactly the same.

Ultimately, though, your body tells you when it’s ready, and your knee is absolutely pivotal.

It is like a shock absorber – bouncing, twisting, turning – so it’s very unfortunate for him, but he’s got to carry on thinking positively.

Such a thing happening twice is rare but if anyone has got the character to come through it, it’s Jonny.

Willy Boly is also currently on the sidelines after testing positive for Covid-19, and that one will really frustrate Nuno.

It just shows the flaws of sending players all over the world on internationals when the virus is very much still active.

If players have had the jab I could understand it, but with things the way they are, you are always running the risk.

So, with two of their best defenders out, Wolves have some thinking to do.

We have lost quite a few players over the course of the season, which has harmed consistency, and you have to think they will properly delve into the market this summer.

Raul Jimenez has been out for a long time, and now Jonny is once more.

For now though, the onus is on other players stepping up for the final weeks of the campaign.