Breaking News: A Confirmation Of ComeBack From Molineux Office To Gary O’Neil About…
Traore had been away at AFCON with Mali, and has missed Wolves’ six matches in 2024 so far.
The 22-year-old was one of four players to leave the squad for international duty, with Hwang Hee-chan and Justin Hubner joining up with South Korea and Indonesia respectively at the Asian Cup, and Rayan Ait-Nouri also going to AFCON with Algeria.
Prior to his call-up, Traore had only earned one senior cap for Mali.
But he made the squad, and was hoping to make a big impact for his country.
Mali ultimately came up short, losing to Ivory Coast in the quarter-final.
Mali lost to Ivory Coast on Sunday, hours after Wolves had superbly beaten Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
After the teams played out a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes, the game ended in dramatic fashion with Ivory Coast star Oumar Diakite scoring the winner in the 120th minute of extra-time.
Wolves star Traore played for around half an hour in the game after coming on for Lassana Coulibaly just before the end of normal time.
That was his third appearance of the competition, after he made very brief cameo appearances against South Africa and Burkina Faso.
So, disappointment for Traore, but it’s good news for Wolves with the player now available for selection for the game with Brentford on Saturday.
Matt Wild appeared on Wolves Express to provide an update, revealing the player has already returned to training. He said: “Boubacar landed back yesterday so he’s back training with the team today (Wednesday). That’s now everyone back from AFCON and the Asian Cup, so we’ll be back to a full squad which Gary will be pleased about.”
Wolves having Traore back is more good news for Wolves, with Hwang Hee-chan also back now after South Korea’s exit from the Asian Cup at the hands of Jordan.
O’Neil has a small squad, so it’s ideal that he has every player available to him.
Traore has not had a massively influential season for Wolves – he has only made 14 appearances across all competitions for a total of 562 minutes.
But his return is most welcome, because Wolves loaned out Joe Hodge to QPR at the end of the transfer window and O’Neil now only has four central midfield options.
Hopefully, Traore can have a greater impact for Wolves in the second half of the season and will be able to steer clear of injuries.