HANDS OFF KIDS!
<M<IP B@:B# <M<IP >F8C# <M<IP >8D< Welsh in warning to England
ENGLAND have been told to forget about trying to tempt away the next generation of Wales talent.
Chelsea starlet Ethan Ampadu, 17, impressed alongside fellow debutant David Brooks, 20, against France on Friday night.
The dual-qualified players could still switch allegiance to the Three Lions as it was only a friendly.
But Chris Coleman’s assistant Osian Roberts has no doubts the pair are committed to the Welsh cause, having already won the battle for Liverpool teenager Ben Woodburn.
“I’ve not thought about them going anywhere else at all, I’ve just been thinking about the performances from Ethan, Ben and Dave’s performances,” said Roberts. “They are Welsh ® players. Simple as. No story there. They are Welsh. End of.
“They did really well when they came on. It was Chris’ idea to give them a wonderful experience.
“I am sure it will be the first step of many in their international careers.” Roberts is the man responsible for nurturing emerging talent like Woodburn and securing their status as Wales players. They will get a chance to shine from the start against World Cup-bound Panama tomorrow night in Cardiff. Roberts said: “We have got some younger generation players who have been with us for a while now behind the scenes.
“They have trained well, working well in camps, for a while and the next logical step for them is to take that onto the field. We want to give them as much experience as we can.
“These players have come through, they have always been in the plan, and are now ready to take the next step.
“It could be seen as a new cycle but at the same time we are certainly not discarding anyone. What it does do is increase the pool we have.”
The next mission for Wales is to qualify for Euro 2020. And Leicester midfielder Andy King reckons the fresh blood can give them the boost they need.
He said: “We have a lot of young players coming through at the moment, it is one of the good things we’ve got.
“We definitely have players who can look to the future.
“The Euros has to be our next goal and the more people we can have playing well for Wales, it will give us a better chance. That’s what our aim is now.”