Mark Kennedy: PSG tie shows Wolves’ progression

Caretaker boss Kennedy’s under-23 side will make history when they host the French side in the Premier League International Cup tonight at Molineux (7pm).

And Kennedy says this first ever match in major European competition for the academy side shows how far the whole club has come.

The former Molineux winger said: “It is another indication of where the club is going and how the club is doing in terms of what it is trying to achieve that vision and structure to grow everyday that where they are and the teams they are playing against.

“They now enter the competition on merit where they can test themselves against elite teams like we get in Premier League 2.

“It is the club’s first year in this new tournament as well so I think there are lots of elements that are exciting but ultimately it is a fantastic game of football for our players and a chance for them to develop and show their capabilities on the day.”

The 43-year-old has seen the development of the club first hand having returned to Wolves this September, 13 years after leaving the club.

Kennedy moved into coaching when he retired at Ipswich in 2010. And he has found his way back to Molineux, leaving a coaching role at Manchester City to join his old team-mate Rob Edwards’ in the U23 set-up at Compton Park.

Since Edwards’ October exit to the FA, Kennedy has taken over caretaker duties.

Now as he prepares to take charge of his first game at his old stomping ground at Molineux, he urged his players not to be fazed by the opposition or the occasion.

He said: “I never get involved in names of teams or badges – it is just another team for me.

“But you cannot get away from the fact that it is PSG and the importance that a name like that brings to the occasion.

“Clearly playing against a team like PSG they will be a heavily possession based team.

“They are big, athletic, fast. They want to play football in the right way which is aggressive, progressive football through the thirds.

“When you compare the English league to other leagues it is very different. It is very aggressive, incredibly high tempo – technical and tactical too.

“We see it when foreign lads come to England how tough they find it with the training, et cetera.

“From a football perspective they will be excellent, they will technically be very good, tactically astute and it should be a really big test for us.

“It will be different dealing with players from different experiences and styles of play, academies and how they approach in terms of their programmes.”

The development side progressed to the next round of the EFL Trophy and head to League Two side Salford City on December 3.

Kennedy took charge for the final group game, the 1-0 defeat at Blackpool.

And he says old boss Edwards deserves the plaudits as he steered the youngsters to a 4-2 win over Carlisle and penalty shoot-out victory over Morecambe in what would be his final game.

He said: “It was fantastic achievement from everyone.

“The players, the staff collectively, Rob has played a huge part in that. I text him to say congratulations to getting through to the next round.

“From our perspective as an academy it is brilliant for us for many reasons, but, mainly, it is an opportunity for the lads to have another game of football in a realistic competition.

“Premier League 2 is brilliant and a great league to play in but there is more realism in playing in the Leasing.Com Trophy for what is at stake and the opposition you are playing.

“Over the course of the three rounds the boys deserved to go through. The boys deserve to be in the next round on merit.”