Wolves goalkeeper steps up his rehabilitation

Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has stepped up his recovery after undergoing shoulder surgery towards the end of last season.

Johnstone - signed from Crystal Palace in a £10million deal two years ago - has not played since Wolves’ FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in March.

He is one of three senior goalkeepers at the club - with Jose Sa just returning from the World Cup and expected to leave, while Daniel Bentley has seen the majority of the action between the sticks during pre-season.

Director of performance Phil Hayward said: “Sam has been doing rehab throughout the summer and has worked really hard; he only had two weeks off over the summer.

“He had the surgery towards the end of last season but has progressed really well over the off-season. He's now pretty much back in full training, doing the majority of sessions, and has had no issues with his shoulder, so he's progressing really well and is on schedule to be back in full training over the next couple of weeks.

“It was something that he was managing for a couple months before surgery. We always try to manage things without surgery wherever possible, and manage things with rehabilitation and less invasive measures, but that didn't solve the problem.

“The timing of the surgery meant he wasn't available for the last few games last season, and then had the whole off-season to recuperate, so the six weeks of the off-season plus the three weeks before we went away were all part of that rehab.

“As a result, the amount of games and training that he's missed has been minimised.”