Wolves player ‘not happy’ amid January transfer exit talk gets Gary O’Neil message

Gary O’Neil admits he understands the frustrations of Joe Hodge after he went public over his lack of first-team opportunities at Wolves but has challenged him to fight for his place.

The 21-year-old has been limited to just one appearance this season which came against Blackpool in the Carabao Cup. Hodge was injured for the defeat to Ipswich Town and with only Premier League matches from now until January when the FA Cup starts, his window of opportunities will been limited.

Earlier this month, the midfielder admitted that he wasn’t happy with his current predicament, and that if the situation didn’t improve he’d push for a loan in the January window. He also suggested the idea that had Julen Lopetegui remained then his situation might have been different to where he is at now.

Speaking to National World outlet the Express & Star, O’Neil said: “He’s in my plans but I’ve been a player and I understand when you’re not playing as much as you want (you will be frustrated), but there’s about 14 every week that don’t play as much as they want.”

“Joe would fall into that and as a footballer you have your own decisions to make on what that means for you, whether you’re happy to stay and fight or want to move.

“That is a normal situation and I don’t have any problems with Joe whatsoever.”

Hodge had only been available since the start of october after being sidelined with a hamstring injury according to his under-21's boss Jim Crawford. He suffered the injury against Blackpool, and has since gone on to play 62-minutes in the Premier League 2, as well as captain the Republic of Irland to a 2-1 win over Lativa earlier this month.

Amid the uncertainty of his future, he is under contract at the club until the summer of 2027 having signed an extension back in January. The Manchester-born midfielder joined Wolves in the summer of 2021 from Manchester City and to date has made 12 appearances for Wolves. He played 11 times last season, including six Premier League outings, and notched up 451 minutes of football.