Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Sasa Kalajdzic suffers ACL injury on debut

Wolverhampton Wanderers have revealed that Sasa Kalajdzic sustained an ACL injury on his Premier League debut against Southampton.

Earlier this week, the West Midlands outfit completed the signing of the Austria international for a fee in excess of £15m.

With Raul Jimenez dropping down to the substitutes' bench and later withdrawing from the matchday squad, Kalajdzic was handed a first appearance in a Wolves shirt from the opening whistle.

However, his outing would last just 45 minutes, the 25-year-old being withdrawn at half time courtesy of a knee issue.

After the match, Bruno Lage played down the significance of the injury, suggesting that he expected him to be available for next week's trip to Liverpool.

The pack will be with you every step, Sasa. 💛

You will be back stronger.

— Wolves (@Wolves) September 4, 2022

On Sunday, however, Wolves announced that Kalajdzic was facing a prolonged period on the sidelines after suffering a serious injury.

A statement read: "Sasa felt a pain in his knee late in the first-half against Southampton. Unfortunately, scans reveal an anterior cruciate injury and he will see a knee specialist tomorrow.

"We now need to support Sasa in his recovery and further updates will follow."

Wolves have been plagued by serious knee problems in recent seasons with defender Jonny having sustained two injuries of the same nature since football resumed after the initial coronavirus outbreak in 2020.

© Reuters

Winger Chiquinho is currently recovering from the same injury that he suffered during pre-season, while Pedro Neto went over 10 months without a first-team appearance due to a broken kneecap.

Wolves must now make a decision on how to deal with the major setback involving Kalajdzic, particularly with Raul Jimenez's fitness currently being managed.

Fabio Silva is out on loan at Anderlecht, with Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan now in line for more work down the middle of the attack rather than on the flanks.

Wolves are in a position where they can explore the free-agent market with spaces still available in the 25-man Premier League squad.