Wolves suffer fresh injury setback as forward ruled out of Burnley clash

Wolves have been dealt another injury blow, with striker Adam Armstrong ruled out of Friday night’s Championship clash with Burnley.

The 29-year-old is sidelined with a back issue, leaving boss Cesar Peixoto without another forward with Raul Jimenez to undergo surgery on a knee injury, which is expected to keep him out until January.

Armstrong would have been expected to lead the line in Jimenez’s absence, but Peixoto is hopeful he will return for Wolves’ clash with Portsmouth on Tuesday.

“He will not play tomorrow,” boss Cesar Peixoto confirmed.

“We rotated four or five players, and we are going to do it again. Adam has a problem in his back, he is not going to play (against Burnley). But in the next game, we think he will be ready to play.

“But the Championship is like that. We have to manage the minutes. This is why I want two players in each position, because of these moments in the season, to be able to rotate the team.

“We have confidence in all of the players. Most of the players are going to play in the next three games. Next week we have to manage the minutes to not have more injury problems.

“Adam is one of the players who will play more minutes, and we have to manage him.”

Armstrong has started Wolves’ last five Championship matches but has struggled to find the net, scoring just once in nine league appearances this season. His only goal came against Preston on August 22.

With Jimenez sidelined, Wolves will need Armstrong to find his scoring touch when he returns. Peixoto has backed the forward to rediscover his form in front of goal.

“Adam is a very experienced player in the Championship, he has scored a lot of goals,” he added.

“I think when he starts to score, he is going to score more, I don’t have doubts about that.

“He works a lot for the team. He is one of the players who runs more in games to help the team, in terms of the defensive or offensive way.

“At the moment, the goals are not coming like he or we want. But he is a player who we have confidence in. I don’t change confidence in my players because they score or don’t.

“If they don’t run, for me, it is a problem. If they are not committed to the task that I need from the team, it is a problem.

“I don’t point my finger to the players if they miss a goal or a pass. I have confidence in Adam. When he starts to score, he will score more.

“He has played a lot of games, a lot of minutes, with no rest because of the injury to Raul. He has a problem in his back, some pain.”