OH, BROTHER! NOT
Molineux star Kilman might be earning rave reviews, but from his mum
MAX KILMAN may now be on Gareth Southgate’s radar but, according to his mum, he’s not even the best player in his family, let alone the country.
The 24-year-old centre-half has been picking up rave reviews for his performances for Wolves. But Kilman’s mother Maria has brought him back down to earth with a bang by telling him his younger brother Michael, who plays for Chelsea’s Under-10s, is going to turn out to be the better player.
Kilman said: “Michael’s doing really well – my mum says he’s like the upgraded version of me. He’s always been bigger, faster, stronger and more confident. We’re just happy he’s enjoying his football at the moment.
“What my mum’s saying is good. I want him to be better than me.”
Kilman has come of age at Molineux this season. He’s not missed one minute of Premier League action so far this term.
TV pundit Jermaine Jenas was the latest to add his name to the list of admirers last week, hailing the stopper’s contribution to the 2-0 win at Tottenham.
Five years ago Kilman could only dream of the big time as he turned out for non-League Marlow while also representing England at Futsal. Now he’s being talked about in hushed tones.
He added: “It’s great to hear stuff from Micah Richards, Jermaine or whoever because they are ex-professionals who had great careers. I just need to make sure I keep getting better because I have a lot of room for improvement.
“My goal is to do my best for Wolves. If things keep going well, then maybe England one day in the future. Who knows?
“I’m blocking out everything apart from doing well for Wolves.”
With the Black Country club in the thick of a race for a European place, the transition from Nuno Espirito Santo to the leadership of Bruno Lage (below) was thought to have been a major gamble. But it appears that the club has been given a new lease of life.
Kilman, signed during Nuno’s four-year reign, said: “Both Nuno and Bruno are very strict. They’re both competitive. They want their standards high. That’s shown in the success that they have both achieved.
“But when you’ve been comfortable and shown your qualities to one, you need to think again when a new manager comes in.
“Mentally, it’s quite a tough stage. You need to be even more on it in training, even though most players are giving 100 percent anyway. “The manager has not taken me to one side and told me his plans, but he’s always coaching me, telling me what I can do better. Little things like my positioning and my decision-making on the ball.
“These details don’t sound major but they are important when a manager is putting across how he wants you to play.
“If there is a difference, it’s in the style of play we now use. We’re not really a counterattacking team any more.
“We defend higher up the pitch and dominate possession when we can.”
Victory over Leicester City today will strengthen the Molineux assault on the European spots.
But Kilman says that the recent wobbles the Foxes have endured under manager Brendan Rodgers do not mean they can be taken lightly.
He added: “They’re not doing as well as they have been but they have the same players, and an even better squad overall. They can turn their fortunes around and be the team that they were last season.
“With the high quality they have in their squad, we have to be ready. We cannot afford to think it’s going to be anything like easy.”