Express & Star

Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy keen for regular playing time

John Ruddy believes he has ‘a lot to offer’ on the pitch as he hints at a potential Wolves exit.

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The 35-year-old has not featured in the Premier League this season with summer signing Jose Sa enjoying a successful first campaign in English football.

Bruno Lage said this week that he wants the experienced shot-stopper to stay with the club, with his contract up in the summer.

Ruddy signed a new one-year deal ahead of the current campaign in the hope of impressing new manager Lage and the goalkeeper has now hinted his desire to play regular football may see him leave Wolves.

When asked where his future lies, Ruddy told the Express & Star: “I have no idea, we take it day by day.

“We have six games left so let’s get to the end of the season. And at the end of the day, if I left Wolves I don’t think I’ll be missed that much because we have people who are ready to step up.

“I don’t play as much as I would like and I still feel that I have a lot to offer on the pitch.

“That’s the reason I stayed this year because there was a fresh pair of eyes with fresh ideas and I thought I could implement myself on the team.

“Obviously they brought Jose in and he was given the opportunity to play. I think I’ve done well when I have played but I’m not playing anywhere near enough.

“We’ll see what happens, it’s a conversation that needs to happen between me and the club, but we still have six games in front of us so let’s take care of that first.”

Regardless of whether Wolves qualify for European football for next season, the summer transfer window is expected to be busier than the last as Lage will look to make his mark on the squad.

Star players such as Ruben Neves are consistently linked with moves away too, and Ruddy is expecting a crucial window.

“This summer is a big summer for the club,” he added.

“There’s not getting away from that, it will be a big summer in terms of players that will probably end up leaving and how well we replace those players and how well backed Bruno is by the club.

“It’s a massive summer and I have every faith in the players here and Bruno and his staff that no matter what happens, they will get the best out of whoever is here next year.

“If I’m part of that then great, if not then I’ll watch from afar and I’ll be wishing them the very best of luck.”

Ruddy was speaking at a Soccer School for the Wolves Foundation and was joined by Luke Cundle and Chem Campbell.

Ruddy said: "I've done a few things with the foundation over the years and it's always great to see how they're engaging with the community and the kids and how enjoyable they make it.

"You can see the kids love it and that's the main thing. They're getting something out of it and it's brilliant.

"Where I grew up we never had professional footballers coming into an Easter camp, so it's important for us as a club to engage with the community as much as we can.

"Over the years we've been brilliant at it so long may that continue and long may the kids have people to come in and encourage them to take that next step in whatever they want to do.

"A lot of them will say they want to be footballers and hopefully it will help push them on and give them some inspiration."