“If he doesn’t move we will reassess the situation”- Gary O’Neil confirms Wolves defender could play for club again if he stays beyond January despite disciplinary issues as club’s Sporting Director confirms player has tendered apology
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has refused to rule out Jonny Otto playing for the club again if he remains at Molineux after the transfer window closes.
The 29-year-old has been training on his own after he swung an elbow at a youth-team player during training in December.
He is set to continue training on his own for the rest of the month, with the belief still that he will leave.
“If he doesn’t move, we will reassess the situation,” said O’Neil.
The former Spain international is also reported to have spat at a member of staff who tried to drag him away after the incident with an under-21s player in the build up to Wolves’ defeat at Arsenal on 2 December.
However, given Jonny still has 18 months left on his contract and is on high wages as one of the last remaining members of the squad who qualified for the Europa League in 2019 under Nuno Espirito Santo, his departure is by no means certain.
Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs confirmed that the player had since apologised, and a return to the first-team fold has not been ruled out by O’Neil.
“He is working hard to stay fit, whether that is for someone else in February or whether it is a discussion about what it looks like here, we will decide after the window,” he said.
“We are both grown-ups. We will be able to have real sensible conversations. That will be no problem. Let’s see how the next couple of weeks go.”