First Team

“The team have done very well”

Despite injuries to two players, head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl was pleased with VfL’s training camp in Austria.

After an eight-day training camp in the Austrian town of Schladming, the Wolves squad departed for London on Friday morning ahead of two tough friendlies (one live on Wölfe TV at 20:45 CEST on Friday, the other behind closed doors on Saturday morning) against Brentford FC. The games against the Premier League outfit will form the dress rehearsal for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side ahead of their first competitive game of 2024/25 at Koblenz in the DFB Cup first round on Monday 19 August (18:00 CEST).

Blessing in disguise for Maehle and Amoura

“The team have done very well and worked very hard,” said the VfL boss, who was not expecting Joakim Maehle to be able to walk “perfectly normally” without crutches just a few days after being taken to hospital following a robust challenge in the goalless draw with Como. “Thankfully he came off really lightly.”

The second player to suffer a setback was recent signing Mohammed Amoura, who picked up an injury in training. The pacey striker is still wearing a brace to protect his knee, but he too has managed to avoid serious damage.

Svanberg returns

Ridle Baku has also sat out training in recent days due to a muscle issue, but Hasenhüttl was full of praise for the 26-year-old’s “superb work” prior to his injury. Aster Vranckx hasn’t been able to train with his colleagues at all after suffering a recurrence of a stomach muscle problem in the aftermath of EURO 2024, but Swedish midfielder Mattias Svanberg is back in full training after coming through his shoulder operation unscathed. “He gives us another option in an area where we’ve previously only had Max [Arnold] and Yannick [Gerhardt],” said Hasenhüttl, confirming Svanberg’s availability for the Brentford friendlies.

VfL-Wolfsburg-Spieler Jakub Kaminski am Ball.

Praise for Kaminski

Another “winner of the training camp”, according to Hasenhüttl, is Polish left winger Jakub Kaminski, who has impressed alongside compatriot and summer arrival Kamil Grabara. “It’s a win-win situation,” continued the Wolves head coach. “Kuba is really benefiting from Kamil – he’s really blossomed and become a completely different person. He’s shown in pre-season how important he is in that position. He’s doing exceptionally well.”

As a consequence of Kaminski’s fine form, Hasenhüttl recently switched Kevin Paredes from his familiar role on the left to the opposite flank, giving the Austrian another excellent option on that side of the pitch. “I’ve always wanted to have a left-footer on the right and vice versa,” explained the 57-year-old, who doesn’t believe in sticking rigidly to a certain starting XI. “Everyone should be given the chance to play their way into the team,” he said. “That’s the only way to create competition.”