Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a fine start to their Premier League campaign in the first half of the season, despite losing a few key players to long-term injury issues, and Bruno Lage has now given Wolves fans a treat for the new year with an update on player returns.

What's the word?

The manager took to his pre-match press conference ahead of Monday's visit to Manchester United to confirm that two key players are training, with an update on their expected returns.

Speaking briefly about Pedro Neto and Jonny Otto's progress in training, Lage gave an idea of how long the pair will take to get back to match fitness, revealing: "They will need to adapt, so I think five or six weeks at least until they are fully fit to play. Pedro will return and start training with us at the beginning of January."

Neto sustained an injury to his patella after the 1-0 win over Fulham in April of last year and has not been available to play at all in the 2021/22 season so far. As for Jonny, he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury around the same time, and like Neto, he has not been featured in the team as of yet this term.

Fans will be buzzing

The long-awaited return of the two players will leave Wolves fans buzzing. Neto would surely improve the Old Gold's hitherto feeble attacking prowess, having accrued 11 goal contributions last term, whilst Jonny would bring his seasoned defensive experience in their pursuit of European football next season.

Lage's side have a number of difficult games coming up in the first few weeks of the year, with matches against Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester City all on the horizon, and he will be hoping that they can improve their form even more to give them the best chance of finishing in a European place.

Wolves will be back in action on Monday at Old Trafford, with Manchester United in much-improved form since Ralf Rangnick has arrived, unbeaten in the league on his watch with four wins out of five.

It promises to be a tough test for Wolves, but at least they can go into the game knowing that the likes of Jonny and Neto are nearing their long-awaited comebacks.

In other news: Lage must not let this January transfer target slip away