Kenny Jackett says that Dominic Iorfa and Kortney Hause can continue to make considerable progress at Wolves – as he challenged Kevin McDonald to make the most of a seasonal ‘fresh start’.
Iorfa and Hause both impressed this summer as part of the England Under-21 squad which won the Toulon tournament, continuing the rapid progress both have made since being given their Wolves opportunities at a young age.
As ever, their development has prompted speculation about interest from a higher division, but Jackett is keen to keep them at Molineux to help the Wolves team improve.
"We haven’t had any bids for either player,” he said.
"We want to work hard to improve our team if we can.
"They seem to be trusted by Gareth Southgate, they were in his first team.
"And they did themselves and did the club proud.
"I watched the final on television and most of the group games as well and both of them acquitted themselves very well.
"Gareth has been very pleased and very impressed with both of them.
"They’re both growing in stature and it’s been a very positive two years for them.
"They’ve had good experience in a tough league in the Championship, they’ve established themselves now.
"If you’re looking at Dominic this time last year he struggled slightly in the same tournament.
"This year it was very difficult for anyone to run him, at that standard, so you can see the progress.
"That’s the experience and the confidence that playing regularly gives you.”
McDonald is a player with more experience, and one who has been influential in his three years at Molineux so far.
Towards the end of last season was his first time of that spell out of the team, but he will be given the chance to stake a renewed claim this time around.
"We want him to stay” said Jackett.
“And we haven’t had any bids for Kevin, despite him not being involved towards the end of last season.
"Kevin has reported back, he looks fit and well and it’s a fresh start and a fresh season for everyone.
"He’s got to work hard now to get back into the team.
"It has to be a fresh start for him and every pre-season is like that.
"He’s been a mainstay for the majority of his time at Wolves.
"Sometimes you have to then go back to basics, battle for it and that’s going to be his pre-season – battling for his first-team place against Rotherham.
"He’s a positive person. He likes being at Wolves and he’ll be working hard, getting his head down and looking to get that shirt back.
"There are generally times when people who maybe finish strongly the previous season come back and can’t get going.
"And there’s also lots of cases at every club where somebody can have an indifferent season, or end to the season, build up their determination and fitness levels and hit pre-season with everything they’ve got and start the season well.
"We’re looking at people that are going to do that, and have the individual motivation to improve, and to see the season as a fresh start and attack the Championship with everything they’ve got."
