When Ruben Neves received his tenth yellow card in a feisty derby with Nottingham Forest which gave him a two-game suspension and left Wolverhampton Wanderers three points above the drop zone, it left many wondering who could replace their imperious pillar of command and leadership in this staggering battle to avoid relegation.

But, in their skipper’s absence, Julen Lopetegui’s side has defeated both Chelsea and Brentford without conceding and now sit six points from potential Championship doom.

The acting captain for those victories was defender Max Kilman, who seamlessly slotted into Neves’ leading role and didn’t let the pressure of the armband topple his performance or confidence.

With Neves’ impending departure motoring on to be an almost definite possibility, Wolves will need to identify a new captain, but the 25-year-old centre-back has quickly proven himself to be a worthy and logical candidate.

What does Max Kilman bring to Wolves?

Despite it being a largely tumultuous campaign for the Midlands outfit, which has overseen three different managers and the club sat in the bottom position heading into the World Cup, Kilman has remained a reliable and popular option, making the most league appearances (31) of anyone in the squad and playing every possible minute.

This is an astonishing achievement and a testament to his quality and undeniable importance to the side.

In the outing against Chelsea on April 8th, the £15k-per-week man produced a resounding defensive display and recorded ten clearances, two blocks, and five accurate long balls, as per Sofascore.

Similarly, when Wolves faced Brentford, the former futsal star repeated another showing of defensive solidarity as he won all his aerial duels, registered two tackles, two blocks, and three clearances, according to Sofascore, whilst also silencing the prolific 18-goal Ivan Toney.

Former Wolves captain Conor Coady has previously lauded Kilman’s talent and said:

“He’s a fantastic lad. He’s brilliant to have around and is a brilliant professional. I thought he was outstanding.”

When he made his Premier League debut against Fulham in May 2019, Kilman became the first player to go directly from non-league to the top-flight, with no loans, since Chris Smalling moved from Maidstone United to Fulham in 2008.

Since then, he has established himself as one of Wolves’ prize assets and possesses a perfectly curated mixture of aggression and technical ability. According to FBref, he ranks in the top 5% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for blocks, as well as the top 13% for successful take-ons.

Nuno Espirito Santo also heaped praise on the defender, saying: "I just see him as a very good football player, a centre-half with quality.”

With this formidable reputation and the dominant performances to support it, the Englishman should be the next Wolves captain, if the club is resigned to losing Neves.