Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a blow ahead of the new season after Enso Gonzalez suffered a serious knee injury.
Last summer, the Premier League outfit paid in the region of €6m to sign the Paraguayan winger from Libertad.
The business was conducted with Gonzalez viewed as a potential star of the future, yet he was expected to make more senior appearances than actually materialised in 2023-24.
His solitary outing in the top flight came during the closing minutes of a defeat to Crystal Palace in May, with 458 minutes accumulated for the Under-23s.
As a result of being selected for Paraguay's Olympics squad, a decision had not been made over whether Gonzalez would go out on loan or remain at Molineux.
However, it is now a foregone conclusion that no transfer activity will take place after the 19-year-old suffered an ACL injury over the weekend.
Enso Gonzalez has sustained a serious knee injury while on international duty at the Olympic Games this weekend.
— Wolves (@Wolves) July 28, 2024
Wishing you a speedy recovery, Enso 💛 pic.twitter.com/xGvoCzikSc
Gonzalez suffers injury at Olympics
Having only been used off the substitutes' bench for Paraguay's opening game with Japan, Gonzalez was selected for Saturday's fixture versus Israel.
Within 14 minutes of kickoff, Gonzalez needed to be substituted, it becoming clear that he had sustained a significant injury to his knee.
Wolves have since confirmed that the playmaker faces a long period out, making it a race against time to feature at all during the upcoming campaign.
Head of high performance Phil Hayward said: "Enso unfortunately sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee whilst playing for Uruguay at the Olympics yesterday.
"As medical staff, we are in close communication with our Paraguayan counterparts to arrange surgery for Enso and begin the rehabilitation process."
© Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Yet another serious knee injury at Wolves
Wolves are no strangers to having to deal with lengthy absences due to knee injuries, with Sasa Kalajdzic having suffered two such injuries during his time at the club.
Chiquinho missed the entire 2022-23 season before returning to represent Stoke City and Famalicao during the last campaign.
Pedro Neto has also sustained a serious knee injury during his time at Wolves.
Darren Plant
