O´Hara takes chances with Wolves

Jamie O’Hara has outlined a plan to secure a long-term contract at Wolverhampton after moving on loan to the Molineux from Tottenham.

O’Hara got his first taste of top-flight action in nearly 11 months on Wednesday, taking to the pitch for the final 15 minutes of Wolves’ 1-0 loss at Bolton.

It was a milestone of some significance for the 24-year-old, who had endured an extended stint in the wilderness with a back injury that threatened his playing career.

Now, with playing time limited behind the star-studded midfield at Spurs, O’Hara has targeted a permanent move to Wolves as his health and match fitness continue to improve.

“If I do well here that could be the move for me. I don’t want to be moving on loan here and there,” O’Hara told the Birmingham Mail.

“I’ve got three or four years left at Spurs. I could sit there and take my money but that is not me as a player. I want to play football and I’ve always been like that and I said that to (manager) Harry Redknapp.”

“I need games. I hate playing little friendly matches and reserve team games. I want to be pushing on as a footballer. I want to be settled at a club where I want to be for four or five years.”

“I didn’t really want to go on loan but because of the back injury it is hard for a club to come in and pay five million pounds for a player when he’s been out for five months.”

O’Hara opted for surgery on his back in August, six months after he first suffered the injury, and believes he will be able to recapture the form of his teenage years in due time.

“In the long run, it is actually going to be better for me because what they’ve done is make it all solid in the back now,” the former England Under-21 international said.

“I had a weakness in there for seven years but I am over it now. I’ve still got to get my sharpness back and I’m still going to get aches but once I get back to full strength I think I’ll feel better than I did before.”