Wolves Face Early Defensive Setbacks with Trippier and Mosquera Injuries

Wolves have been dealt an early-season defensive blow, with Kieran Trippier ruled out for several weeks after damaging knee ligaments on his league debut.

The 35-year-old right-back, who joined on a free transfer in June, suffered a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury to his left knee during Friday’s 2-2 draw with Blackburn Rovers. His first league outing for the club now doubles as the start of a frustrating spell in the treatment room.

The setback comes as part of a wider fitness storm at Molineux.

Yerson Mosquera will also be missing for a spell after limping out of the same game. The 25-year-old defender has a slight tear in his ankle ligaments and is expected to sit out several weeks of action, stripping more depth from the back line just as the campaign gets going.

There is at least one ray of light.

Wolves’ director of performance, Phil Hayward, delivered a more upbeat bulletin on winger Rafiki Said, who had endured a brutal start to life at the club. The 26-year-old summer signing sustained a high‑grade MCL injury in a pre-season friendly against Maidenhead United last month, only 11 days after arriving.

“Rafiki's been working very hard in the gym for the last few weeks with his brace on. He's now out of the brace and the most recent scan looks great, so he's heading, certainly, in the right direction,” Hayward said, outlining a recovery that finally seems to be gathering momentum.

Hayward also confirmed that goalkeeper Sam Johnstone is around a week away from full fitness, offering hope of a swift return to contention. Haiti international midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is expected to be a little further behind, with a couple more weeks of work required before he can rejoin first-team training.

Wolves now face the next phase of the season juggling patched-up options at the back, while waiting for key reinforcements to step back onto the pitch.