Declan stays under radar at Rangers to earn Wales call
AMIDST Aaron Ramsey’s omission, five uncapped players and the announcement of a Ryan Giggs backroom team with strong Manchester United connections, Declan John’s recall by Wales went somewhat under the radar.
But the former Cardiff City favourite, deemed good enough for the Premier League by Malky Mackay, but not for the Championship by Russell Slade, has returned to the kind of form which saw him emerge as one of the bright hopes of Welsh football.
John hasn’t featured for his country since appearing as a second-half substitute for Hal Robson-Kanu in a 2-0 friendly loss to the Netherlands in 2013. That was one of two caps he won in his breakthrough season, which was the Bluebirds’ solitary year in the top flight.
To put that into perspective, in that match-day team versus the Dutch were Danny Gabbidon and Lewin Nyatanga, two other defenders who haven’t appeared for Wales since.
Unlike them, John was expected to kick on and challenge Neil Taylor for the Wales left-back starting spot at Euro 2016.
Instead, he barely featured for the Bluebirds afterwards, was loaned out to Chesterfield and Barnsley and it took a move into the Scottish Premiership with Rangers to revive such a promising career.
Still only 22, and with time on his side, John has earned rave reviews from fans and pundits for his form north of the border.
It has been instantly recognised by Giggs, who will take a look at the Merthyr youngster at some point in the China Cup matches against the host nation and one of Uruguay or the Czech Republic.
John expressed his delight at his Wales recall and admits it was always on his radar when he left Cardiff to kick-start his career with Rangers.
“If I’m up here and playing well it’s certainly going to put me in good stead in terms of getting back into the national team,” he said upon his move away from the Bluebirds.
“It’s been a tough few years (with Cardiff). I think it’s been the change of managers more than anything that has caused that. But I just want to come up here and do well.”
He has done that to such an extent that many Rangers followers want John retained in the left-back position even though club skipper and Ibrox fans’ favourite Lee Wallace has returned from injury.
John’s early career was a real rollercoaster ride. At 18, he was handed his league debut by Malky Mackay in the Bluebirds’ historic Premier clash away to West Ham. Through that campaign the teenager kept his place, featuring in the big matches against Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs and winning those two Welsh caps.
Cardiff fans love seeing one of their own come through. Declan was one of the very few at the time and received staunch support.
But, although he started the following season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it quickly became clear Slade wasn’t a fan and preferred Scott Malone for the left-back berth.
Loan spells in the wilderness saw John out of sight, out of mind for Wales honours, but the switch to Rangers, one of the giants of the British game, has changed that.
Taylor isn’t ready to be put out to pasture yet, while Ben Davies obviously plays somewhere in the backline for Wales.
But John is ready to put on the pressure as he pushes again for Wales four years after his last appearance.
There were previously question marks about his defensive qualities, which are said to have improved up at Rangers. But no-one doubts the energy, athleticism and creative ability John brings down the left flank.
He has the perfect mentor for that role in Giggs, who John reveals was his football idol.
“I supported Manchester United as a youngster. Watching Ryan play, I’d try to copy him in certain ways, try to get the ball like him and go past three or four players at a time. That was something I wanted to do,” he told The Herald in Scotland.
“For a person who played until he was 40 and had the career he had at United is incredible. I was excited by the appointment. For Wales to have someone like him coming in is good for us.”