Max Kilman will be a brilliant captain for Wolves in the future – Bruno Lage

Bruno Lage has backed Max Kilman to be a “brilliant” future Wolves captain following the departure of Conor Coady.

Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves will wear the Wolves armband against Fulham on Saturday, as he did in the opening-day defeat at Leeds last weekend, but Lage says 25-year-old defender Kilman is in his long-term thinking about the job.

On the captaincy issue, Wolves boss Lage said: “Ruben for now and after we have time to talk about it.

“One of the guys I am thinking about is Max (because) after the season he did I think it’s the right decision to try to push him a little bit.

“He’s a little bit shy, but we can do good work with him to show more leadership.

“He understands his role and understands the space that he can step up. I can see a brilliant captain in the future.”

Coady’s departure on a season-long loan to Everton, with an option to buy at the end of the 2022-23 campaign, came as a surprise to Wolves fans.

The 29-year-old England defender joined the club in July 2015, playing a huge role in Wolves winning promotion to the Premier League and then establishing themselves as a top-flight presence.

Lage said he spoke to Coady after the pre-season friendly game with Sporting Lisbon on July 30, and suggested at his Fulham pre-match press conference that he could not guarantee him game time at Molineux this season.

“He is one of the best men I have met in football. He was my captain and he helped me a lot,” Lage said.

“I understand the position of Coady, it’s not just about the World Cup.

“He wants to play every minute of every game. This is the kind of player I like the ambition, to play.

It is very hard to lose a man and captain like him. We need to find the best way to replace his leadership because it