Wolves should turn to Leander Dendoncker during Ryan Bennett’s suspension

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Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo is left with a problem in his defence due to the two-game suspension that Ryan Bennett has picked up.

The centre-back picked up his 10th yellow card of the season in the 2-0 win over Cardiff City last weekend, which means he will be sidelined against Chelsea and Burnley.

Bennett is an ever-present as the right-sided defender in a back three and has been a consistent performer at Molineux this campaign on the club’s return to the top flight.

Nuno needs to try find a solution in his absence and it will be particularly important considering Chelsea’s Eden Hazard is the next left-winger Wolves will line up against.

Wolves should put faith in Leander Dendoncker to fill the void and slot back from midfield into defence.

Dendoncker or Romain Saiss are the most likely candidates to drop back from their usual midfield roles into the backline.

Nuno should side with Dendoncker to play centre-back, as he’s naturally right-footed unlike Saiss and has played commonly in that position during his career.

Dendoncker has managed to force his way into the starting XI in recent months in midfield and his calmness plus quality on the ball is beginning to shine through in the Premier League.

He’s definitely got the flexibility to switch roles against Chelsea and Burnley, which would also allow Saiss to build on his all-action display in midfield in the win over Cardiff.