£14m Wolves star was the only player to stay late and sign autographs for fans last night
Wolves played out a 0-0 draw with Luton Town last night as they continued their preparations for the new season.
Julen Lopetegui made quite a few changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Celtic last weekend.
Only Max Kilman and Matheus Nunes kept their places.
It was a good performance from Wolves in terms of keeping they ball and creating chances.
But the same old issue was on show at Molineux as Wolves could not find the back of the net.
The game finished 0-0, and it is clear that Wolves must sharpen up in front of goal.
But Lopetegui will be encouraged by what he saw, and hopefully he will be able to add some new faces in the next couple of weeks.
Hwang Hee-chan shows his class after draw with Luton
Sometimes after games, players are eager to just get on the coach and get gone.
It’s understandable, especially after late kick-offs.
This can sometimes lead to fans that are waiting for autographs and acknowledgement being ignored.
Last night, some fans waited for the players after the game.
Journalist Nathan Judah documented this on Twitter, and reported that just one player stayed behind after the game: Hwang Hee-chan.
Judah said of the South Korea international: “One player staying late, standing in the rain, signing every single autograph and posing for every picture. These are the things that go a long way in my book.”
Hwang started last night’s game, playing around 70 minutes before being replaced by Pedro Neto.
Hwang setting an example
It is a bit of a shame that more players could not stay behind.
But this is just fantastic to see from Hwang.
It’s brilliant to see someone giving back to those that support the club through thick and thin.
It is not something he had to do. But the £14 million star he recognises that it can be a big thing for some fans.
As Judah says, little things like this go a long way.
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Kilman | ‘The dynamics within the team are really good’
Maximilian Kilman believes the bonds which have been created between the Wolves players during pre-season will set the team up well for the upcoming Premier League season.
The centre-back has captained Wolves throughout pre-season and was once again wearing the armband as the Old Gold played out a thrilling goalless draw with top flight newcomers Luton Town at Molineux.
Partnering Toti in defence on Wednesday evening, Kilman feels the pre-season scheduled has allowed Wolves to experiment to ensure they are in the best possible way heading into their final friendly against Stade Rennais on Saturday, before opening their Premier League acccount against Manchester United nine days later.
On the Luton friendly
“It was a good test, but we did really well. We didn’t know what to expect from Luton but they’re a Premier League side this year, so we did really well.
“We know we should have finished a lot of our chances, but we can see the momentum, keeping the ball, and we defended really well, so it was good that we could get a few minutes under our belts and get fitter for the start of the season.
“It was very physical. Both of the strikers they had were like that, but it’s something I’m already used to so it was good to have that battle. There are many strikers in the Premier League who can do the same, so it was good to have that different kind of challenge for each game.”
On a partnership with Toti
“I’ve played on the right before, so it was nothing new, and playing with Toti too, he’s a top player and when he plays he does amazing, so whoever I’m playing with it’s a great partnership with both of them.
“This is the probably the best time to try new things and take a few risks, but also making sure you’re taking calculated risks and doing the right things.”
On team bonding in pre-season
“It’s been really good, really intense. It’s mainly been about getting ourselves fit. We’ve been working really hard and training has all been really good.
“We’ve obviously lost a lot of players, so it’s been about adapting and adapting to a new style of play and working together.
“As we’ve got a smaller group right now, it’s meant that we could be much closer together as a team and we’ve bonded really well and the dynamics within the team are really good.”
On returning to Molineux
“It was great to be back. We’ve played abroad, we were in Portugal and we played in Ireland the other day, so it was good to be back in familiar surroundings at home.
“The pitch is ready and the atmosphere – although not a full stadium, I guess only half – was really good, so it’s really good to be back.”
On Premier League approaching
“We’ve just got to prepare. We’ve got a game against Rennes, and we’ll come back after that and work really hard. We’ve got a really tough start to the season, but we’ve got to be ready. But we know that and we’re all really looking forwards to it and ready to go.
“Going to Old Trafford for the first game of the season is really exciting. We went there towards the end of last season and we didn’t get a good result, so we’re looking to bounce back, start the season really strong, do our best and go from there.”
