Nuno calls on Theo Corbeanu to keep improving for Wolves
Nuno Espirito Santo is pleased to see young striker Theo Corbeanu make his senior Wolves debut but has called on him to continue to develop and improve.
The Canadian international stepped off the bench in the 82nd minute in Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Spurs to finally make his maiden Wolves appearance.
Corbeanu has impressed for the club’s under-23s and has regularly been involved with the first team.
Now, after making his debut, Nuno was quick to praise him as well as warn him of the pressures playing in the Premier League can bring.
“He made his debut and I’m happy for him,” Nuno said. “He’s a young player in the under-23’s who is working with us almost every day.
“He has talent but I think him, more than anyone else, has the realisation that this is very hard. It’s very hard.
“You can see the way he approaches his duels, he has to become stronger because it’s the high standards of the Premier League that we require.
“I’m happy for him and we realise the talent is there, but it requires many, many other aspects of his game to become a better player.”
Corbeanu, who celebrated his 19th birthday yesterday, has been with Wolves since 2018 after travelling from his native Canada for a trial.
He quickly graduated up the youth levels at Wolves and joined the first team for their pre-season tour of China in 2019.
In 2020 he began playing for the under-23s and, alongside his time training with the first team, he has also found a space on the bench for Premier League games on several occasions.
Corbeanu has also made his senior Canada debut, scoring in the 5-1 win over Bermuda in March.
When asked what he has shown in training to be involved with the first team so often, Nuno added: “He’s talented and is good one-v-one offensively. He’s fast.
“But he needs to improve. He’s 19.
“Like many of our young players he’s one more that we want to develop and take him further into our future.”
Meanwhile, some eyebrows were raised among supporters when Max Kilman lost his place to Romain Saiss against Spurs.
The 23-year-old put in a stellar performance in the win against Brighton the week before but, after Nuno hinted he would rotate his team, Kilman was dropped. With two final games coming up against Everton and Manchester United, Nuno insists the defender will return to the set-up.
When asked if Kilman could count himself unlucky at not playing, Nuno said: “It’s not a matter of luck.
“Max had a very good game against Brighton. A very good game.
“He’s going to play again. It’s a matter of decisions and options.
“We trust Max, as we always did.”
Kilman’s replacement Saiss put in a decent showing against Spurs but the performance of his defensive partner Conor Coady caught the eye.
The captain was a major reason for Wolves keeping the hosts at bay for most of the second half, pulling off two goal-line clearances, and Saiss was full of praise for him.
He said: “Everyone knows Coads for many years and what he means for the club and team, he’s always giving everything on the pitch.
“It doesn’t matter if we concede a goal or we are winning, he never gives up. He is a good captain.
“He shows the rest of the team and he’s a good example for the team and club.”
