Julen Lopetegui not interested in captaincy and wants 'team of leaders'
Julen Lopetegui is not interested in the captaincy at Wolves and instead is urging his players to step up and be leaders in the dressing room.
Ruben Neves became captain this season after Conor Coady's departure and will remain in that role under Lopetegui.
Max Kilman was vice captain under Bruno Lage, but Joao Moutinho took the armband in the mid-season break.
When asked about the vice captaincy and leadership structure, Lopetegui insisted that those details are not important and it is about how the squad as a whole step up – including those players currently out of favour.
Lopetegui said: "For me, who is the captain and vice is not important. The key question is to be a leader inside the dressing room and show a good example to your team-mates.
"Sometimes the most important captain are the players that don't play and are on the bench. They are key for the environment and for the rest of the players. For me, this is very important.
"Each player has his character. We don't have a very big leader inside, so that's why I prefer to have a lot of leaders.
"When you want to choose your leader, sometimes they choose themselves organically."
In what has been a difficult season so far, Neves has often shone in the Wolves midfield.
Lopetegui worked with him as a teenager at Porto and handed Neves his professional debut – and he is pleased with how he has developed as a player.
The head coach added: "I think he has developed a lot, but at the same time he is very young and can continue developing.
"He is 25 and started working with me when he was 16. Now, I think he has become a very solid player in all aspects, with and without the ball.
"Of course he is an important player for us and knowing his mentality, he will continue improving for sure. He is our captain and he will continue to be.
"It's been a very important time, because I now know more about the players and they know more about us, not only me but my staff, and what we want.
"Sometimes it's one thing that you want and one thing that you know the team can make at this moment. We have to make this balance because we have important matches.
"Step by step we will try to build our idea. Now, the most important thing is to compete and be ready. This time has been important for me.
"We have to improve our work in both areas. You can play well in the middle of the pitch or for 10, 20 minutes, but it's not enough.
"We have to improve our defensive security and also be able to damage the opponent."
