Sky Sports' Johnny Phillips: Conor Coady - Wolves' man of the season

A lily-gilding penalty that had no bearing on the result, yet it was celebrated by the travelling hoards in gold and black as if it was the decider. Because it was Conor Coady.

The 25-year-old Liverpudlian has come to epitomise the spirit and resilience of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. The head coach has emphasised all season that this is all about the team. Trying to coax Nuno into naming individual players during his post-match briefings is a waste of time. He has refused to pick out anybody for special praise.

Yet he showed his sentimental side at Bolton. When Benik Afobe won that penalty midway through the second half, it was Nuno who made sure that the heartbeat of his team was the man to take it.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I looked over and the boss was shouting,” Coady said, as he celebrated with his team-mates on the pitch in front of the away end at full-time. “It’s right up there to be honest, to score for this club in front of these fans. I don’t do it that often so to do it means an awful lot.”

The supporters have taken Coady to their hearts this season. The transformation from utility player to the central role in a three-man defence has been a revelation.

Reflecting on the positional switch that has transformed his Molineux career, Coady explained: “I played there for the first pre-season game against Werder Bremen and it went from there really, I just wanted to improve and listen to him (Nuno) and luckily I was able to do that.

“I played centre-half growing up at Liverpool a couple of times in a back four, but I’ve played as a defensive midfielder for the majority of my life so it was very similar to that role, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve got a lot of improving and learning to do and I’ll keep on doing that as much as I can.

“What helps is being in a team full of players who want to play and want to get the ball from you. That’s what I’ve been in this season, they’ve helped me a lot. When you have players in front of you like Saiss and Neves who can come and get the ball and start attacks, they’ve been a massive help to me.”

If Coady is thankful for the assistance of his team-mates, that appreciation is reciprocated in spades. Ruben Neves describes the players as ‘one of the most important players we have, on the pitch and outside the pitch’. The 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder has seen both sides of Coady – the footballer and the man. “He’s an incredible person who has helped me a lot. Conor deserves this season and deserves to play in the Premier League because he’s a really good guy and a really good player.”

Ryan Bennett has been impressed with the character of a player three years his junior alongside him in the defence. “He’s a natural leader really, he’s still only quite young. It’s a new position for him that he’s played this year and he’s taken it by storm, the way he plays it, the way he reads the game. He’s been brilliant for us, a lot of our play starts through him, he’s been a massive part of this season.”

Coady’s leadership qualities, when captaining the side in the absence of club skipper Danny Batth, have stood out. Goalkeeper John Ruddy sees this as an integral part of the player’s game. “Coads is very good on the ball but he’s also very vocal as well. I like to relay messages to the players and Coads can pass them on to the people further forward. As a goalkeeper and team we always work on having that safety net at the back and the three has been a vital part of it.”

This leadership material was in evidence when he joined Liverpool as a 12-year-old in 2005. His coaches admired the way he was prepared to make himself heard on the pitch. Coady captained both the Liverpool’s under-18s and under-21s, playing as a holding midfielder. At international level, he captained England’s under-17 side to victory in the 2010 European Championships and three years later led the Under-20 side at the World Cup.

Coady’s family have played a key part in his development, supporting him at games home and away throughout his career. Speaking to the Liverpool supporters’ podcast The Anfield Wrap back in August 2016, Coady revealed: “My dad always told me that communication is a big part of football — it can help you a lot to get players to help you, and then you can help others.

“I try to do that in different positions. It’s just something I was brought up with and it comes across quite well when I’m playing.” His role models growing up at Anfield were Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. “You talk about good communication, I just looked at them and tried to get something out of their game to bring to mine. I felt like it helped me.”

“He’s been unbelievable hasn’t he?” said Matt Doherty. “To think he was playing right-back last season and me left-back. Fair play to the manager for spotting the potential for him at centre-half. He’s taken his chance with both hands, it’s been a joy seeing the range of passing and the confidence in him.”

The on-pitch interviews at the end of televised matches this season have been quite revealing. More often than not it has been Neves or Diogo Jota named man of the match, but Sky has usually requested Coady speak alongside them in order to coax more out of the chat. He has always obliged. Never the man of the match, but absolutely the man of the season.