EXCLUSIVE: International break strikes again as key Wolves duo forced to withdraw from national team after picking up injuries, players now set to return Molineux for assessment and treatment

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will be hoping that their squad can remain fully fit throughout the Premier League season as they hope to avoid potential relegation to the Championship after a tough start to the top-flight campaign – and that could become increasingly more difficult, with Mario Lemina and Rayan Ait-Nouri reportedly having withdrawn from their international call-ups due to injury.

The duo – both thought to be earning a combined £82,000-per-week – played a key role for Wolves in the Premier League last season. Lemina was their fourth-highest appearance maker in the top-flight, whilst Ait-Nouri more than played his part as he continues to show just how strong a signing he has been ever since making the move from then-Ligue 1 outfit Angers back in 2020. But if they are out for an extended period, it could be bad news for Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, who will be relying on the pair to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

A report from The Athletic writer Steve Madeley, who covers Wolves, states that Ait-Nouri and Lemina have both withdrawn from international duty with Algeria and Gabon respectively, with injury woes plaguing the duo ahead of representing their nations in the international break.

Ait-Nouri’s Algeria side are forecast to face a home clash against Equatorial Guinea on Thursday evening before an away trip to Liberia – both of which will be Africa Cup of Nations qualifying games – whilst Lemina’s Gabon are set for a tricky away clash against Morocco on Friday evening, before hosting the Central African Republic on Tuesday in their bid to qualify for the continental tournament.

The pair will return to Wolves in the coming days for treatment, though Madeley does not know how lengthy either injury will be – with no suggestion ‘at this stage’ that either injury is deemed to be serious.

Lemina has captained Wolves in all three of their Premier League games so far this season, with the Gabonese midfielder registering an assist against Nottingham Forest at the weekend as Wolves picked up their first point of the season against their Midlands counterparts.

Ait-Nouri has started Wolves’ three clashes but has been substituted early in each game, though he did notch an assist of his own against Chelsea in the 6-2 thrashing from the Blues at Molineux on August Bank Holiday weekend.

The duo are two of Wolves’ most important players, with Ait-Nouri especially playing a key role last season as the West Midlands outfit finished 14th in the Premier League – whilst Lemina registered four goals in his top-flight campaign last time out, with all four strikes coming in a two-month period leading up to Christmas.