Lage aiming for ‘different level’ with Wolves after good run

Wolves manager Bruno Lage is keen to take the club to the next level as his side look to continue their good run of form.

Predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo took Wolves from the Championship to the Europa League quarter-finals in three years and, under Lage, they sit seventh in the Premier League.

And the former Benfica boss pointed to defender Max Kilman signing a fresh five-year deal on Friday as proof of the club’s ambitions.

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He said: “That’s part of the project, it started with Nuno who took them from the Championship and now I have that chance to put the club at a different level.

“January will be here and we will talk about that but the most important thing is keeping our main players with us.

“What we have in mind is to create a stronger team, stronger than we have, to compete for different positions.

“Max has done well since the first day. I’ve seen him working hard to take his chance and when he started the season with the problems we had with (Willy) Boly he is doing well.

“He knows he has to be on top every time, we want our players at their best when we go to games.”

Kilman himself spoke about his joy at signing a new contract with Wolves.

“I’m delighted to have signed the new contract. I got my first professional contract at this club and I’m still here.

“It’s great to have another long-term contract with the club because I’m happy to be here and I just want to do my best for the team.

“The journey since first arriving at the club until now has been brilliant. When I first came into the under-23s and then transitioned into the first-team, before beginning to play more regularly, it’s been great.”

Wolves go to Crystal Palace on Saturday having won four of their last five games but Lage refused to dwell on their results.

He said: “What we have done now belongs to the past. We need one more good game, one more good performance and more points for us. It’s not important to look at the table at the moment.

“What is more important is what I want to do and the pathway I want with the players and the team. Now we put it behind us and look forward.”

Fernando Marcal (calf) is out while Yerson Mosquera (hamstring), Pedro Neto (knee) and Jonny (knee) remain sidelined and are not expected to return until next year.