Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Southgate hails Coady as real captain material
GARETH Southgate would have had no hesitation in handing Conor Coady the England captaincy from kick-off in Thursday’s friendly win over Wales – despite it being just his second cap.
Wolves skipper Coady took the armband when Kieran Trippier was substituted during the 3-0 victory.
The 27-year-old opened his goalscoring account for England on a fine night for the ex-Liverpool youngster – who only made his international debut last month.
Not renowned for his prowess in the box, it was Coady’s first goal of any kind in 901 days as he turned home a Trippier free-kick.
Coady was not alone in being inexperienced at international level – Southgate’s starting line-up had just 54 caps between them as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored on his debut and Danny Ings got off the mark too.
Asked about Coady after the game, Southgate enthused about the defender and his impact on the squad. “Conor made me feel good sat next to me yesterday (at the prematch press conference),” England manager Southgate said.
“He’s got that real infectious personality. I know he doesn’t go up for set-plays for his club, so I’m sure he’s enjoyed that moment. He’ll go back now and (Wolves boss) Nuno (Espirito Santo) will never hear the last of it. But it is very special for him.
“He ended up with the armband and I wouldn’t have hesitated to give it to him at the start but we felt Kieran is the most capped player and with everything he’s done for us warranted that accolade.”
Like much of Southgate’s team, Coady’s roots are in the EFL, having joined Wolves from Huddersfield in 2015 – when both sides were in the Sky Bet Championship.
“We’ve always had a connection,” he said of England players who began in lower-league teams. “Our back three at the World Cup – John Stones, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire – two from Sheffield United when they weren’t in the Premier League and Stones was at Barnsley.”