Wolves replace Lemin as captain after on-field altercation

Wolves have stripped midfielder Mario Lemina of the captain’s armband following his altercation on the pitch following Monday night’s defeat to West Ham.

Lemina, 31, fell out with Jarrod Bowen when the pair went to shake hands as tempers flared after West Ham’s 2-1 win at the London Stadium.

Lemina apologized earlier this week, but boss Gary O’Neil revealed Nelson Semedo will take the reins going forward, starting with Saturday’s tough clash with Ipswich.

O’Neil said in his pre-match press conference: “Discussions with Mario have been good. We get along very, very well.

“He’s been a big part of what we’ve been able to do here and we have a huge amount of respect for each other. Sometimes you can come out of these discussions in a really good place and I think we did.

“I have a lot of respect for Mario and what he will still be able to do for us.

“When we get the best out of him on the pitch, his level is so high and he’s going to continue to play a big role for us, which he really wants to do.

“He will still be in the senior group leading the team, but at the moment we feel it is best for Nelson to lead the group.

“The most important thing is that we get the best out of everyone – we get the best out of Mario Lemina week after week, the same for Nelson and the rest of the group.

“We dealt with that at the start of the week and since then the focus has been purely on Ipswich, Mario is fit, Nelson is fit and the rest of the players are fit.”

Joao Gomes will miss the clash through suspension, while Jose Sa and Pablo Sarabia remain sidelined along with long-term absentees Yerson Mosquera, Saša Kalajdžić, Enzo Gonzalez and Bouba Traore.