Dave Edwards comes to McCarey's defence

The 23-year-old has been suspended by the Football Association, after tests showed a non-performance enhancing substance.

It's unclear at the moment what McCarey is alleged to have taken, but he has strenuously denied deliberately taking any banned substance.

The club are 'extremely disappointed and concerned' that one of its players has failed a drugs test.

The news broke within 24 hours of Hull City midfielder Jake Livermore and Sheffield United striker Jose Baxter also being banned after failing drugs tests.

And Edwards is shocked at the news about McCarey. He's been a colleague of McCarey's since the Irishman signed for Wolves in 2010.

Edwards said: "Aaron is a great lad and has always come across as a model pro. I only know Aaron as a good professional and a good person.

"He's a great lad and he's great to have around the place. I only saw the news yesterday so I don't know the ins and outs of it.

"I was led to believe Aaron was away from the club for the last couple of weeks of the season for personal reasons.

"No one wants to dive into that so I didn't think anything of it, apart from thinking that he needed time."

McCarey could face a lengthy ban if the FA investigation finds him guilty, but Edwards has backed him to put the episode behind him.

He said: "He's only 23 so whatever the verdict is, I'm sure he'll bounce back as a person and as a player.

"We'll just have to wait and see if the club is prepared to stand by the verdict. It's a shame for Aaron."

Edwards admitted players receive all the advice they need and drug testing is a regular occurrence.

He said: "Everyone knows the drug-testing routine and the PFA come in every year and tell us the dos and the don'ts, so everyone is well educated.

"Drug testing is quite regular – maybe more than three or four times a season."