Wolves kicked off their pre-season friendly schedule at the weekend with a 1-0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra on Saturday. It was Bruno Lage’s first game in charge since taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo last month. The line-up Lage named was predominantly first-team players, although there was room in the midfield for U23 star Taylor Perry. Perry, 20, has impressed the boss in the first two weeks of preseason, and he wants to continue to do so ahead of the new campaign.
Taylor Perry said: “A new manager has come in, so the first thing I want to do is impress him and show him what I can do, so that’s my main objective. Just to stay focused, keep proving that I’m good enough to play in the first-team and hopefully I’ve caught his eye and I’ll continue to do that and see what happens.”
The youngster played 45 minutes of the defeat but ended the first half with a clean sheet before he was substituted as one of eight changes ahead of the second half.
Taylor Perry continued: “It’s a new step in the right direction for me, 45 minutes for the first-team, and it’s a great experience to play with the first-teamers. Despite the result, I thought we had a good performance in the first-half, and we’ve got to continue that into the next games in pre-season.”
The midfielder made 18 appearances for the under-23s in Premier League 2 last season, scoring six goals and registering two assists from the centre of the park. His impressive form earned him a contract extension earlier this month, a two-year deal with the option of a further 12 months.
Taylor Perry said: “It’s one of the best feelings because I’ve been at the club since I was seven, so to sign a new long-term contract is obviously a great feeling. The hard work’s just started really, I’ve just got to carry on doing what I’m doing, stay focused and keep pushing, and hopefully this season can be big.”
The squad will now head to Marbella for their pre-season training camp, where they’ll face Real Betis on Saturday, July 24 and Las Palmas on Monday, July 26. The Premier League season kicks off on Saturday, August 14, against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.
