Express & Star

Maximilian Kilman embracing first-team life with Wolves

Several Wolves youngsters out in China will be desperate for an opportunity to impress against Manchester City today.

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And Maximilian Kilman is no different. After an 'unbelievable' year last season in which he became a regular on the bench and made a brief Premier League debut against Fulham, the centre-half who was plucked from non-league Maidenhead United is hoping to kick on even more in 2019/20.

That could mean Europa League appearances, cup appearances or continuing to be a regular in and around the squad.

Whatever the future holds, 22-year-old Kilman is thrilled to be a part of it.

It's certainly not what he was anticipating when making the huge step up to join Wolves a year ago.

"I wasn't expecting it at all – when I first came to the under-23s I had no idea," he told the Express & Star. "I was just keen to play and see where it went.

"To end up here has been unbelievable. I'll just take it as it comes.

"I've been welcomed into the group, slowly got into it and now I feel like I'm progressing and doing well.

"I was really pleased with how it went last season."

Nuno Espirito Santo clearly thinks highly of the lofty left-footed defender, saying at the end of last season that he was "really, really happy" with the player and describing him as an aggressive centre half with quality.

Kilman says he's been working closely with Nuno on improving his game.

"The gaffer and the staff and been working with me a lot just to get a big fitter and stronger, get used to the intensity," he added.

"It's very good – when I first started training with the first-team I learned a lot every day. It's good for the under-18s, you can learn from the seniors every day on and off the field.

"You just have to embrace it, everything he says just go along with it and follow the senior players.

"We'll see what happens! It's an exciting time for the club, they've achieved so much. It's been a while since they were in Europe, to be part of the next generation is exciting."