With many of the under-23s participating in first-team training under new head coach Bruno Lage, it has meant numbers are currently short within the professional development phase of the Academy.
But this has allowed the two groups to come together for a pre-season plan which under-18 head coach Steve Davis described as “really exciting”.
“It’s been going well so far,” Davis said. “A lot of the under-23 players have gone up to train the first-team due to their lack of numbers. Some of them are still to come back from injury, and they’ve got a lot away because of the Euros.
“That’s had a knock-on effect on the under-23s and that then has an impact lower down on us in the under-18s.
“It means we’re training with lower numbers until the first-team lads come back, but the players will begin to drift back down the age groups, and we can then begin to do some work on the team, rather than just individual work.”
A first few days in new surroundings for @louie_moulden.
— Wolves Academy (@WolvesAcademy) July 8, 2021
🛑👏 pic.twitter.com/ymhA2WtI4s
The under-23s and under-18s are working together at Lilleshall, but their pre-season will also see them travel to St George’s Park, Manchester and York during the coming weeks, before returning to Compton Park in August once the strict Covid restrictions at the training ground have been lifted.
Several behind closed doors friendly fixtures have also been arranged to help get the players back into match sharpness ahead of their Premier League 2 and Under-18 Premier League North seasons kicking off.
Among the under-23 friendlies are games against Nantwich Town, Accrington Stanley and Crewe Alexandra, while the under-18s face tough tests as part of the Manchester United Summer Tournament, where Davis’ side will also take on young Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur outfits.
The friendly schedule for both age groups is available to view by clicking here.
Renat Dadashov back for 21/22.
— Wolves Academy (@WolvesAcademy) July 10, 2021
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Davis added: “Everyone enjoys this time of year, because although we’ve only got eight players in our group at the moment, we can really give them a good focus on what their needs are and focus on them individually. They’re getting a lot of one-on-one staff attention, which they’ve been really enjoying.
“We’re training together with the under-23s at Lilleshall, so as well as working with myself and our coaches, they’ve done a few sessions with Sean [Parish] and they’ll do some with James [Collins], so they’re hearing different voices and different types of work which will be really beneficial for them.
“After Lilleshall, we’re going to different venues and also taking part in a very exciting competition at Man United, where we will also play against Chelsea and Spurs, so we’ve got a really exciting six weeks planned until the season begins.”
The league fixtures for Wolves’ under-23s and under-18s will be announced on wolves.co.uk and Wolves Academy’s social media channels as soon as they are confirmed.
