When Max Kilman was at Wolves, he came close a couple of times to making the England squad.
The defender had impressed for Wolves during the 2021/22 season under Bruno Lage, when he played on the right of a back three.
Unfortunately for Kilman, he had a really bad game against Crystal Palace in front of Gareth Southgate in March 2022, and he seemed to remember that when it came to picking his next Three Lions squad.
He said of the player at the time (via Birmingham Mail). “There are a lot of good defenders around – Fikayo (Tomori) would be another one we’ve been tracking closely. We do our due diligence and know the attributes that are needed for the balance of the team. But he’s very much on our radar. He’s one of a number that we tracked closely.”
Kilman also had a string of impressive outings for Wolves across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons. But he never received a call-up to the national team squad from Southgate.
Kilman was obviously sold by Wolves this summer, with West Ham United signing him for £40 million. It is possible Kilman decided to push for a new challenge to better his chances of an England call-up.
On Saturday Night Football last night, Jamie Redknapp made an interesting claim about Kilman.
Earlier this week, new interim manager Lee Carlsey named his first England squad for the upcoming international break.
