Dan Bentley determined to be the main man at Wolves

The 30-year-old signed in January from Bristol City and after having a big impact on the dressing room, was handed two appearances at the end of the season.

His first, away at Manchester United, was also his Premier League debut and the shot-stopper is determined to start the season as Wolves’ first choice when they return to Old Trafford next month.

“That’s the reason I’m here and that’s the reason why I do what I do every day, and the hard work that goes in is to get in the team and play every week,” Bentley said.

“I’ve been fortunate enough in my career – obviously through a lot of hard work – that I’ve been number one at every club I’ve been at and at no point did I ever dismiss the fact that I wanted to be a number one when I joined Wolves.

“In terms of my aspirations, they were to come in and play, and in terms of pre-season, it’s in full swing and although I’m not a huge fan of pre-season – and I’m sure most footballers would tend to agree – I can’t wait for the serious stuff to start.

“Those are the moments and the situations that I thrive off, so I need to use pre-season exactly for what it is, get myself prepared for the season and it’s up to me to prove that I’m capable and worthy of being number one for this football club.”

Wolves were eager to add experience and leadership to the dressing room in January, which was a big factor in Bentley being recruited.

With Neves and Conor Coady leaving this summer, Wolves are yet to confirm who their new captain is, but Bentley has become a member of the senior leadership group at Wolves that has now stamped their authority on the dressing room.

Bentley added: “Ruben left us in the summer and Conor Coady was also a big figure in the dressing room before he went on loan last season, so losing those two senior figures presented an opportunity to myself and the other senior boys in the group to become part of a core leadership group who are striving to improve standards and maintain the standards that we have at the football club. That’s from top to bottom, on the pitch and off the pitch.

“Along with the rest of the boys in the leadership group, I’ve set up a fines list and there will be fines this year. Nobody wants to be fined and nobody wants to fine anybody, but it’s a good thing to maintain standards, accountability and responsibility for all our actions.

“The club will do the due diligence on who they bring into the football club, that’s as players as well as people. It was always clear to me when I was joining the football club that they want the correct players, of course, but they also want the right people and they want to recruit people and players who will contribute to the dressing room as well as on the pitch.

“We want every player who joins this football club to have the same ethos and standards on and off the pitch. I fully trust the club will make the correct decisions with who they see fit to join us.”