Conor Coady's Call-Up to the England's Squad Has Been a Long Time Coming

Wolves captain Conor Coady became the latest addition to Gareth Southgate's 25-man England squad on Sunday, ahead of the Nations League double bill next week, and you have to say, it has been a long time coming.

Having led his team from 14th in the Championship upon his arrival in the West Midlands to an FA Cup semi-final, a strong seventh-place finish and a quarter final in European football, Coady's individual rise has been nothing short of outstanding. The 27-year-old, who was let go by boyhood club Liverpool in 2014, has been the anchor of Wolves' defence for years and his leadership has been undeniably inspiring. The call-up was only matter of time and in truth, it is richly deserved.

If he features in either of the games against Iceland or Denmark next week, he will become the first Wolves player to play for the Three Lions since Matt Jarvis way back in March 2011.

While he may have had to wait for Gareth Southgate's call, Coady is absolutely someone you would want to represent your country. In addition to his fantastic attitude and impeccable professionalism, he is a leader and one that England need if they want to win, even when they play badly. He is somebody who is going to inspire and encourage other players to dig deep - it's in his blood.

Coady captained his country to victory at the 2010 UEFA European Under-17 Championships as they became the first England side to win an international tournament in 17 years. It has been a rollercoaster of a journey since - which included a failed first adventure at home club Liverpool - but over the last few years, his determination to drive a culture and identity at Wolves shows why he is ready to pull on the England shirt and why the Three Lions are lucky to have him do so.

Consistency is so hard to come by nowadays but he offers that in abundance. He has been involved in every single part of his club's recent transformation and has incredibly missed just one league game in the last three years - and he played every minute of last season's Europa league campaign which earned him a place in the team of the tournament.

It is not just his leadership that is so advantageous for England. Coady's sparkling form at the heart of Wolves' back three helped the team to keep 23 clean sheets in all competitions last season. He is organised, he very rarely dives in and he knows when to distribute or play over the top. In short, he will have no trouble adapting to Southgate's back four if necessary.

The England boss has, however, also used a 3-5-2 formation in the past, we saw that at the World Cup two years ago. Should Southgate's plans once again involve three at the back, Coady's experience in the position trumps that of most of the other central defenders - perhaps this is where his organisational skills could shine in an England shirt.

Coady will be delighted about the call up and so he should. But he will more than likely stay humble and not get carried away.

Chances are if he does earn Wolves' first cap since Jarvis in 2011, he won't have to wait too long for more.