Wolves are yet to bring in any new signings so far this summer but that hasn't stopped Bruno Lage from making the bold decision to send Dion Sanderson out on loan.

Despite a lack of defensive options following the departure of Romain Saiss earlier this summer, the Portuguese manager sanctioned the loan exit of Sanderson, as the 22-year-old rejoined Birmingham City on loan for the 2022/23 campaign.

While Lage will have Toti and Yerson Mosquera available to him as centre-back options next season, they have made just six Wolves appearances between them, so it would be optimistic to assume that they will be regular starters alongside Max Kilman and Conor Coady in the Old Gold's defence next season.

Sanderson meanwhile, has plenty of experience of English football, having featured regularly on loan at the likes of Cardiff City, Sunderland, Birmingham City and QPR in recent seasons.

During his time at Sunderland, former manager Lee Johnson was full of praise for the Wolves man, saying: "He's a centre-half and at his age level he is an absolute Rolls-Royce."

Although Sanderson has featured regularly for Wolves' academy sides in his career, he has just one senior appearance to his name, and surely he deserves a chance to show Lage what he can do, at least in pre-season.

It feels very premature to send the 22-year-old out on loan again before even assessing him ahead of the new season, and it could leave Lage very short of centre-back options next season, especially if they don't bring in a replacement for Saiss.

Sanderson is still contracted at Wolves until 2025, so you would hope that he still has a future at the club, and fans will be hoping that he can impress again at Birmingham next season before returning to Molineux and making an impression on the first team.

Considering the way Wolves finished last season, it is a surprise that Lage has taken the decision to loan out such a promising young defender, and it may well prove to be a decision that comes back to bite the Portuguese manager if his side starts the new season in a similarly poor defensive fashion.

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