Max Kilman - Possession, Defending, xG Qualms

England has always produced centre-backs who look like Max Kilman. He’s 6-foot-4, capable in the air, and is more than happy to engage in physical contests.

From a distance, he bears similarities to someone like Craig Dawson, the archetypal ‘head it, punt it, tackle it’ defender who defined the nation’s approach for a generation.

That isn’t, however, an honest or realistic assessment of Kilman’s style, talent, or history. In fact, he represents the antithesis of the caricature that English football became in the 1990s and 2000s.

The 24-year-old, in the middle of a breakout season with Wolves, is a left-footed centre-back who relishes playing on the right of a back three, blocks shots like it’s going out of fashion, and can drive play from the defensive third.