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England Assistant Manager Gives Surprise Player Of The Tournament

England Assistant Manager Gives Surprise Player Of The Tournament

Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips have been among England's top performers in this history-making Euros.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

England assistant manager Steve Holland has named Wolves skipper Conor Coady as his player of the tournament despite the 28-year-old not playing a single minute thus far.

Out of England's 26-man squad, only Coady, Ben White, Ben Chilwell, Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone have yet to feature in their stunning run to the Euro 2020 final.

Gareth Southgate has already showered praise on those who haven't played, hailing their professionalism and the way in which they've created a special team spirit.

Image: PA
Image: PA

And Holland, Southgate's right-hand man, believes defender Coady has been central to the squad's success with his leadership off the pitch.

"My player of the tournament so far is Conor Coady, I would say," Holland told BBC Football Daily.

"He's not get on the pitch yet, but on the training pitch he gives everything.

"In the dressing room before the game, he speaks like he's captain despite the fact he's not been on the pitch yet. That's incredibly difficult to do."

Holland was a long-time assistant manager at Chelsea, where he worked with former England skipper John Terry. In his final season at the Blues, Terry barely featured but remained a key figure in the dressing room as they won the league under Antonio Conte.

The 51-year-old has seen similar qualities from Coady, who has been capped five times by England.

Image: PA
Image: PA

"So, John Terry plays five or six games, but in the dressing room on a day-to-day basis and on the training ground, after games and before games, the contribution he made to the group had a huge influence on the success of the team.

"A selfless approach, what's best for the team, is not easy to do.

"But we have great examples of players going down that road, which is inspirational, really.

"I've mentioned Conor, and there are others like Jordan Henderson. When you put all that into the melting pot, it's a powerful group we have."

The likes of Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker, Jordan Pickford and Kalvin Phillips have all been among England's top performers in Euro 2020 and look good value to make the team of the tournament.

The Three Lions look to make history against Italy at Wembley on Sunday, with the chance to end a 55-year wait for a major international trophy win.

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Topics: Conor Coady, Football, Euro 2020, England