Wolves’ manager Nuno Espirito Santo must start Max Kilman ahead of Jesus Vallejo for any Premier and Europa League fixtures.
Vallejo joined Molineux in the summer on a season-long loan from Real Madrid (BBC). Since joining he has hardly shown the form of someone capable of replacing Sergio Ramos.
Meanwhile Max Kilman has impressed in every match he’s started in be it Asia, the Carabao Cup and now the Europa League.
- OUR VIEW: Jesus Vallejo’s loan at Wolves only benefits Real Madrid
(Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images)
Max Kilman is the answer for Wolves’ defensive blues
Wolves have suffered some defensive blunders this season thanks to inconsistency from and injuries to Ryan Bennett. The former Norwich player came off injured against Southampton last Saturday with Vallejo as his replacement.
This was a mistake.
Southampton immediately targeted Vallejo because they knew they could keep getting past him with ease. Conor Coady was ultimately to blame for the Saint’s goal in the 1-1 draw, but it was Vallejo who needlessly gave the ball away and put Wolves under pressure despite his biggest strength as a Spaniard supposed to be passing.
The Real Madrid prospect also looked timid and he kept blundering simple passes when not even under pressure. It was a similar story against Reading in the Carabao Cup which also ended 1-1.
Nuno convinced Vallejo to join Wolves via personal call (Express & Star) but he needn’t have bothered. The Spaniard is too weak and fragile for the Premier League, and so far he hasn’t been able to keep up with the pace and physicality of English football.
The loan move also makes no sense as its purpose is to better Vallejo for Real Madrid only. There’s no benefit for Wolves as there’s no chance of him staying in the Black Country.
Everything bad about Vallejo is the complete opposite with Max Kilman. The former Futsal player is strong and big enough for the rigours of the Premier League, and he has hardly put a foot wrong when donning the gold-and-black.
Not to mention he’s also going to be at Wolves for much longer than a year. But, regardless of the length of his contract, Kilman should simply start ahead of Vallejo as he’s better built and his form is vastly superior.
Wolves can’t send Vallejo back to Spain as they need him for depth. The Spaniard will be called upon in some fixtures when Kilman and others are not available.
However, when Kilman is available, he should start ahead of the Real Madrid loanee. You could even argue that he should start ahead of Ryan Bennett, but that might be too much of a stretch right now.