Wolves must fill hole left by Emmanuel Frimpong

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy today challenged his midfielders to fill the sizeable gap left by Emmanuel Frimpong after the midfielder was ruled out for the season.

The 20-year-old Arsenal man ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a fair challenge with Joey Barton during the first half of Saturday's Premier League win at QPR.

Frimpong, who had been due to remain on loan at Molineux until the end of the season, is to see specialists in London over the next few days before surgery and rehabilitation.

The midfielder, who suffered the same injury to his left knee in 2010, had performed impressively in his five appearances for Wolves.

And McCarthy was left to express his disappointment at the unfortunate loss while throwing down the gauntlet to those left to fight for his place, with Karl Henry completing his three-match ban with Sunday's Black Country derby against Albion.

"It's very disappointing for us but even more so for Manny, who faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines," said McCarthy.

"As ever we just have to get on with it now and someone else will get a chance to stake their claim in the team. He'd made a good impression in the first month of his loan and we were looking forward to having him with us for the rest of the season.

"He's a very good player, and we were grateful to Arsenal for allowing us to have him as he continues his development.

"I have spoken to (Arsenal boss) Arsene Wenger and thanked him for letting us have him and I know our fans enjoyed watching him play.

"All of us at Wolves would like to thank Manny for his contribution and wish him the very best for his recovery."

See also:

• Emmanuel Frimpong ruled out for rest of season

• Mick McCarthy full of praise for Wolves owner Steve Morgan

• Keith Andrews happy to relegate former club Wolves