Glenn Hoddle has revealed his surprised after Conor Coady wore the captain’s armband for Everton at the weekend.
Frank Lampard named the Wolves loanee as his skipper for the game against West Ham United on Sunday.
Seamus Coleman was on the bench for the Toffees.
Usually, Jordan Pickford takes the armband when Coleman doesn’t feature.
The England number one is currently on the sidelines nursing a thigh injury.
So it was Coady who led the team out at Goodison Park.
It is quite rare that a loan player captains a team. But Coady was obviously the captain of Wolves and his leadership qualities are widely recognised.
Former Wolves manager Glenn Hoddle said of Lampard’s decision (Premier League Productions, via Liverpool Echo): “They [Coady & Tarkowski] are decent on the ball. More than decent as in Coady.
“But they are both defenders first, which has gone out of the game a little bit. A lot of teams look at, ‘can my defender play out with the ball?’ – if they stay fit, then it’s going to be the basis of what Frank [Lampard] is trying to do.
“It’s amazing to give that captaincy for somebody who is on loan. You could have given the captaincy to Tarkowski. But, at the end of the day, they are both captains. That’s really good for the midfield and the young full-back, Nathan Patterson. He will be secure and be talking non-stop to them.”
It has been a solid start to life at Everton for Coady.
The 29-year-old has been a regular starter since his arrival, and has already forged a solid partnership with James Tarkowski.
Ironically, he is currently featuring in a back four and making a good impression.
It was only a matter of time that Coady would captain Everton
It is certainly unusual for a loan player to be named captain of a team.
But in Coady’s case it doesn’t really feel all that surprising.
With Coleman not playing and Pickford out, the logical next step would be to pick Coady.
His leadership qualities are second-to-none, and he’ll no doubt have already commanded the respect of his new teammates.