Wolves have battled a full-back crisis almost unheard of in the Premier League, with number one choices for each flank Jonny and Nelson Semedo both having lengthy spells out injured, while their deputies have struggled on occasion this season.

While Jonny has returned to first-team action now, Semedo is likely to be out for between four to eight weeks - meaning former Liverpool wonderkid Ki-Jana Hoever was set to take his place and have a lengthy run in the first team.

However, much to Lage's frustration, Hoever himself suffered an injury at the weekend - causing the Portuguese manager to send a warning to the player in particular, as well as the other youngsters in and around the first-team squad.

“This warning is not only for Ki [Hoever], it’s for all the kids we have in our team,” said Lage.

“They need to understand that I don’t waste time with guys who don’t work hard every day to improve.”

Once described as a “sensational young player” by his former boss Jurgen Klopp, the defender arrived at Molineux for 13.5m in 2020 with fans hoping he could replace the outgoing Matt Doherty, who signed for Spurs that Summer.

The 20-year-old Dutchman has started just four games this season, averaging a 6.60 match rating according to SofaScore - despite making an impressive start to the campaign, achieving a 7.40 in the first game. Furthermore, he has only registered one goal involvement in his entire Molineux career.

Hoever hasn't yet made an error that has led to a shot this season, and has won over 50% of his duels this season, but it is reportedly his unwillingness to train harder and prepare himself for senior football which is the thing that is frustrating Lage the most.

Lage said. “Injuries can happen, but this one happened because he was not prepared because Ki sometimes doesn’t work in the same intensity."

With Hungarian right-back Bendegúz Bolla having an impressive season at Grasshoppers Zurich in Switzerland, Hoever will need to buck up his ideas quickly before he finds himself even further down the pecking order at Wolves - and eventually on the transfer list.

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