Wolves host Leicester City in the third round at Aggborough on Wednesday evening and Kaleta has pointed to team spirit and togetherness as the key ingredients for a successful competition. The 18-year-old, who signed his first professional contract in the summer, has recently received opportunities with the under-21s and has enjoyed the exposure against a variety of opposition. And after injury hampered his involvement in the FA Youth Cup last time out, Kaleta is desperate to leave his mark and ready to perform under the pressure for James McPike’s side against the Foxes.
On the season so far
“It’s been a good season and a good start to the season. Recently I’ve bumped up to the 21s because of a few of the players going with the first team.
“That was good experience with them and I feel like I did well. A few of the other lads came up with me so that was good too.”
On getting opportunities and younger players thriving
“I always feel like if you’re working hard and doing the right things then the opportunity will come. Maybe sometimes it doesn’t come as quick as you want it to, but at the right time you’ll get your opportunity.
“I feel like they’ve (the younger players) coped really well with it, especially being at a young age and still in school. To come up and play 21s with the maturity they’ve shown, they’ve done well.
“I’m one of the older ones in the group now. It’s not just about me, it’s about setting an example for the younger ones too.”
On featuring in different competitions for the under-21s
“They’ve been good games to play in. Sunderland was obviously abandoned, but we played Rugby Town which was a good game to play in where we got a 3-0 win.
“Then it was Cardiff away where we worked hard for the win and Fraser (Harper) got his goal, and then we played Valencia.
“It’s been a good exposure to higher level football and playing with older players.
“It stretches you because you might feel like you know the league, certain players or the teams. But playing teams from Spain and teams you don’t get to play often is much more exposure for us.
“It’s shown me to always be ready because you never know what’s around the corner.”
Marvin Kaleta, that is superb 👏 pic.twitter.com/krloNGwU0n
— Wolves Academy (@WolvesAcademy) September 20, 2022
On the FA Youth Cup and wanting to perform
“I didn’t get to contribute as much as I wanted to last season because of injuries, but I did what I could. I came back in the unfortunate loss to Manchester United in the semi-final.
“This year we’re hoping to go strong and go far again. You have to believe, I feel like everyone on the pitch has to believe – even subs, even if you’re not around it.
“We’ve all got to be together and have a real spirit that we can win the game and beat whoever is in front of us.
“It’s always a competition where you want to leave your mark. It’s a lot of pressure but I feel like we really want to perform under that pressure.”
On Leicester and wanting to entertain the fans
“We’ve watched a few of their games, seen how we can hurt them and how they can hurt us. I think on the day it’s about us believing in ourselves and really taking the game by the scruff of the neck.
“At times you might think we’ll struggle but with the players that come up, I think we’ve proved that even if we’re younger, we can still do a job and get the results.
“We’re going to try and play a high intensity game, be fun to watch and creative. Hopefully we’ll win the game because we’ll do whatever it takes.”
