Wolves utilising unusual medical method for Premier League advantage

Gary O'Neil's side are now six games unbeaten in all competitions and while they may not take full credit for those performances, the club's medical team have been utilising the unusual method to keep the squad alert as the sun goes down.

In fact, it is understood that Wolves first started this practice during Nuno Espirito Santo's time in charge but that it has only now been revealed, as the club keep looking for any small advantage in an increasingly competitive Premier League.

“That's something that the medical team and the fitness staff do, I think they're called daylight glasses," O'Neil explains.

“There's obviously not too much daylight at the moment and especially evening games when it gets dark, your body naturally starts to feel like it's time to get ready for bed and it definitely isn't time to get ready for bed here!

“We need to be fully alert. So they just use them to try to help the boys with being alert and ready to go.

“And there's some sort of health benefits I believe to being exposed to a little bit more daylight.

“You'd be better off asking one of the guys that knows what they're talking about, but that's my best understanding of what they do."

When asked when the players use them, O'Neil added: “At breakfast most days they wear them for a set amount of time, 20-30 minutes, then for evening games when it starts to get dark, just making sure around the hotel that they use them to let the body know that it's not time to be shutting down.

“Since I've arrived really, the medical team spoke to me about them. I had no issues with trying them.

“Normally if things like that aren't working and the boys aren't feeling the benefit they get dismissed fairly quickly and the boys are still all using them.

“So trying to make these marginal gains around the place is important of course, and our injury record thankfully has been exceptional this season, touch wood, which is hugely important and a credit to the fitness staff and the medical team because we do have a small squad.

“You see some teams at the moment with nine, 10 or 11 injuries and we wouldn’t be able to cope with that.

“So it is really important that we get our load right in training and all the recovery stuff is done as well as we can to keep everybody as fit as possible.

“I don't think we can make too much of them. I don't think they're like the magic wand that fixes everything.

“I think they're just a part of the lads being professional and trying to give themselves the best opportunity to be in very good shape.”