Coleman poaches Brooks

CHRIS COLEMAN named former England Under-20 captain David Brooks in his senior Wales squad for the first time and could not resist a sly dig at the expense of his fierce rivals.

Sheffield United midfielder Brooks, above, was named the Three Lions’ player of the competition as he helped them to win the famous Toulon Tournament earlier this summer.

But in a blow to England boss Gareth Southgate, the 20-year-old has switched his allegiance back to Wales and could feature in the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Republic of Ireland.

He is set to follow in the footsteps of Liverpool teenager Ben Woodburn by committing his international future to Wales despite being England-qualified.

Coleman said: “David has shown great promise for some years. Luckily for us, he’s chosen Wales and I’m sure it will cause one or two ripples on the other side of the bridge. It caused a stir with Ben, although he’s been with us for some years.

“We’re not the only country to have players with dual nationality. It’s a feather in our cap that these players are coming to us. Brooksy has earned his chance.”

Both qualifiers are must-wins for Coleman if his team are to reach next summer’s World Cup.

Defenders James Collins and Jazz Richards are injured, but Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are included.

Coleman insists he is not under pressure to cap Brooks straight away to put him out of the clutches of England for good.

“I don’t feel obliged to cap anybody unless it suits the team,” he said. “Commitment is what it is – they’re either in for the long run or not at all.”

WALES SQUAD: