Gary O’Neil appeared on Monday Night Football last night, and gave an assessment of Max Kilman that makes Wolves’ sale of the player look even better.
Kilman left Wolves last year after six-year spell at the club, joining West Ham United for a fee of £40 million.
After making his debut under Nuno Espirito Santo at Molineux, Kilman emerged as a regular for Wolves under Bruno Lage.
His best time came when he was playing on the right of a back three, with Conor Coady in the middle and Romain Saiss on the left.
Kilman also gave some decent performances under Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil, but the general feeling was that £40 million was a decent sale at the time.
But that sale has actually started to look like a bit of a masterstroke as time has gone on – and last night, O’Neil dropped a concerning verdict on his former player.
What Gary O’Neil said about Max Kilman with Wolves sale now looking top business
Last night, West Ham United took on Brentford at the London Stadium.
Like Wolves, West Ham have been really struggling this season and have already changed manager, with Nuno now at the helm.
Ahead of the game, there was a short focus on Kilman, with O’Neil well placed to comment on him having obviously worked with him at Wolves.
And the verdict he gave about his lack of urgency and concentration suggests Wolves did really well to get as much as £40 million.
He said on Sky Sports: “We did a lot of work with Max. A lot of work. He’s probably not found his best form yet this season.
“At Wolves, we did a lot of work with him on not switching off the engine. We used to speak to him. because he’s big, and he looks for a rest a lot Max. So he’ll be involved in the game and if he gets a moment to switch the engine off he’ll take it.
“I’ve been watching him a little bit recently. And I’m sure Nuno will drill it back into him around, don’t rely on your physical attributes, don’t rely on your pace and physicality.
“Make sure you’re always ready and switched on, and West Ham need to improve defensively, and Max has definitely got some improvement in him again this year to help West Ham get to where they need to get to.”
- READ MORE: Gary O’Neil responds when asked how to defend vs Erling Haaland, and Wolves fans will love it
Kilman badly struggled against Brentford
Following this verdict from O’Neil, Kilman proceeded to really struggle against Brentford in the Hammers’ 2-0 defeat.
As per Sofascore, he won just three of the 11 duels he contested in the match, and he made a hash of his clearance attempt that led to Brentford’s opening goal by Igor Thiago.
West Ham fans have been very critical of Kilman this season, and actually for a lot of last term too, as he struggled to prove his worth after his £40 million move. Indeed, back in August West Ham fans slated Kilman for his performance in the defeat to Chelsea.
O’Neil’s verdict on the player is definitely concerning for a player who cost £40 million, and the level he has shown since leaving Wolves really does reflect well on those involved in his sale.