The Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield fears that Wolves captain Conor Coady could struggle if Bruno Lage switches to a back four this season.

Coady has been a mainstay in Wolves' back three in recent years, but Hatfield has reservations about whether he could adapt to playing in a different formation.

What's the latest news on Coady?

The 28-year-old had a sluggish start to the season as Wolves failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their opening three league fixtures.

Lage's side have begun to turn things around, though, winning three of their last four top-flight matches.

Despite this positive run, Coady has not been at his best, and has received an average game rating of 6.62 from WhoScored, which sees him rank 12th when compared with his teammates. With this in mind, he was arguably fortunate to make Gareth Southgate's England squad for the latest international break.

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What has Hatfield said about Coady?

Hatfield believes that the £62,000-a-week player has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, and he is confident that Coady will return to top form if he continues to play in a back three. However, he feels that the defender could have issues if Lage alters his system.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about Coady, Hatfield said: “If Lage plays that three then obviously it will work out for him. If he goes to a four then I think there’s still serious questions of him. But yeah, he’s showed his quality, he’s got that character. He’s always the guy that fronts out in terms of press duties and he’ll hold himself accountable for any mistakes he happens to make in a game.

“So, it doesn’t surprise me that his performances are picking up because he’s just that type of character. And I’m sure he will continue to improve.”

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Is Lage likely to switch to a back four?

Right now, there is very little reason for Lage to change things, as Wolves have started to pick up wins on a consistent basis, and are currently six points clear of the bottom three.

Yet Lage may need to address the balance between attack and defence at some point, given that his side have only scored five goals in their opening seven league games. They need to start finding the back of the net more regularly, and the Portuguese coach may decide that a tweak to his formation would be the best way to go about fixing this issue.

If that is the case, Wolves could potentially move to a back four, and Coady would then have to prove his doubters wrong, or risk losing his place in the starting XI.