Rob Edwards hands loan defender pre-season chance to force Wolves breakthrough | OneFootball

Rob Edwards will give Nigel Lonwijk a pre-season chance to impress at Wolves, challenging the defender to prove he is ready for first-team football.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, the 23-year-old signed a one-year extension last summer to 2027, then joined Luton on loan and made 45 appearances in all competitions.

Since the end of the League One season, Lonwijk has been back training with Wolves alongside fellow loanees Tommy Doyle and Tawanda Chirewa. Edwards noted that Chirewa endured a stop-start year due to injuries and said it was positive to have them involved for the recent weeks of training.

Lonwijk is yet to make his senior debut for Wolves. He has had three seasons in League One across six loans, representing Huddersfield Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle. He won the third tier title with Plymouth in 2022/23, playing 41 times.

Asked if the natural next step is to feature for Wolves in the Championship next season, Edwards said that is how Lonwijk will view it, stressing the onus is on the defender to convince the staff when the chance comes. He added the club want a strong, competitive squad for a demanding league and that Lonwijk has made a good first impression.

Beyond Lonwijk, Doyle and Chirewa, no other loanee has returned to train during the final weeks of the Premier League season, including Ki-Jana Hoever, who spent the second half of the campaign with Sheffield United.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com