Conor Coady has given his reaction, after making England’s World Cup for Qatar.
Gareth Southgate named his 26-man squad earlier today, and by and large it was as predicted. There were no real great shocks.
Fikayo Tomori’s omission upset a few people. And others wanted to see Tammy Abraham and Ivan Toney in, too.
Perhaps the headline news was James Maddison making it in, having been in great form for Leicester City for months now.
Wolves kind of have some representation in the form of Coady, who technically remains a Molineux player.
He is on a season-long loan at Everton, who are expected to turn his move permanent next summer for around £4.5 million.
Coady left Wolves having lost his status as a nailed-on member of the starting XI.
Bruno Lage changed the team’s system, and benched the 29-year-old for the opening game against Leeds United.
Days later, Coady had completed his move to Goodison Park.
It was reported that the desire to play for England at the World Cup was part of the reason for him moving. He wanted regular minutes to ensure he got a seat on the plane.
And his decision to leave has been justified.
Taking to Instagram earlier today, Coady expressed his joy. He said: “One of the proudest moments of my whole life and an absolute honour … we will give everything we’ve got for our country.”
A few of Coady’s former teammates, such as Romain Saiss and Fernando Marcal, have sent their congratulations in the comments.
Coady has so far accrued 10 caps for the Three Lions.
He did not play a single minute at Euro 2020, but was widely praised for his leadership behind the scenes.
England’s assistant manager Steve Holland said that he was England’s Player of the Tournament. Kieran Trippier also praised the defender.
Brilliant moment for Conor Coady as Wolves man makes England’s World Cup squad
Coady making England’s World Cup squad is fantastic to see.
Not all Wolves fans liked the way his exit was handled. And some haven’t liked a couple of things he’s said since leaving.
But surely no one can begrudge him this.
Coady is a brilliant person and he is obviously rated very highly by Southgate. And as much as some Wolves fans won’t want to admit it, he’s been really good for Everton this season, and in a back four too.
It remains to be seen just how much he’ll feature in Qatar.
Surely compared to the Euros, he’s actually got more of a chance to play this time around.