Wolves manager Vitor Pereira has confirmed that midfielder Mario Lemina, has asked for a move away from the club this month.
Speaking after the 3-0 defeat to the in-form Newcastle United, courtesy of an Alexander Isak’s brace and a third from Anthony Gordon, the Portuguese coach confirmed that the Gabon international wants to leave the club.
The 31-year old missed the weekend’s FA Cup third round win over Bristol City with a slight injury, and was declared fit ahead of yesterday’s match against the Magpies. He was however left out of the squad as the manager confirmed the news to reporters.
“I can’t bring a player who tells me he is not in the mental condition to help the team. He wants to leave.
I don’t know what happened before me, but with this energy and this mentality, I don’t need him. I prefer to play with another player”, Pereira said.
The former Southampton midfielder was the club’s captain at the start of the season, but was stripped of the role by former manager Gary O’Neil, after an embarrassing behavior in the 2-1 defeat at West Ham United in December.
The midfielder who has played 19 times for the club this season and has only featured for 31 minutes in the Premier League since the new boss took over last month, has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this winter.
“I don’t have anything against Lemina or any issues with him”, he continued.
“He said to me that he wants to leave and he communicated this decision one month ago to the club.”
The West Midlands club sit 18th on the Premier League table, after their recent defeat, level on points with 17th-placed Ipswich Town.
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