Woodburn and Wales; why he snubbed England:
The youth guru who brought Ben Woodburn through the Wales system has outlined the special camaraderie inside the Dragons dressing room that has persuaded the Liverpool teen sensation to commit to the red rather than the Three Lions of England.
Having already eclipsed the great Michael Owen as Liverpool’s youngest goalscorer this season, 17-yearold Woodburn was called into Chris Coleman’s squad for the crunch World Cup qualifier with the Republic of Ireland in a weeks’ time.
England have been trailing Woodburn for some time and Coleman’s number two Osian Roberts revealed how he encouraged the teen ace, and other dual qualified youngsters, to train with the English to ‘broaden their football experience.’
He is delighted to say that every single one of them has opted to still stick with Wales.
Woodburn, from Chester, is the most high-profile of a clutch of Anglos who committed to Wales at age-grade level, but who could also choose England.
Others include Chelsea full-back Cole DaSilva, Manchester City’s tricky winger Rabbi Matondo and highly rated midfield maestro and Under-17s skipper Ethan Ampadu.
Technically under FIFA rules, Woodburn could still keep his senior international options open if he doesn’t enter the field of play in Dublin to win his first Wales cap in a competitive match.
However, the gifted young gun has played for Wales at Under 15, 16, 17 and 19 level, captained his country and clearly feels fully committed to the Dragons.
Roberts, who has headed up the Wales youth set-up for a number of years, reckons a major factor is the brilliant rapport among the Welsh teens that matches the special team spirit which helped Coleman’s senior side march so spectacularly to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
“Look, I’ve never been overly-concerned about the prospect of him going with England instead and nor has Chris,” Roberts told WalesOnline.
“I could never say for definite, you just can’t in football. But from our viewpoint these young players are really positive about playing for Wales.
“They are a really strong group of friends who have grown up together in football, just like our senior team who also came through age-grade system before playing together in the Euros.
“Ben is a big part of that. These aren’t just his team-mates, they’re his mates too. They enjoy playing together but they also enjoy one another’s company off the field. Why would you not wish to be a part of that, something that could be quite special again?”
Although Roberts accepts the spotlight is on Woodburn, he is keen to emphasise there are really high hopes for other youngsters in the Welsh set-up. They eclipsed even the youth sides Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey came through by winning the Victory Shield – the Home Internationals – and beating France for the first time in history at Under-17 level.
“Four of our players, including Ben, were invited two years ago to go to an England training camp. This was just before we won the Victory Shield,” explained Roberts.
“Far from standing in their way, I said ‘Go and see what it’s like’. Players need to experience as much as possible at a young age. Then they can see what they are comfortable with and happy with.
“They deserve that support to see what works best for them as individuals.
“So my advice to Ben and the others was ‘Have the experience, then come back and let us know what you think’.
“Well, two years on we still have each and every one of them playing for Wales. That tells you how enjoyable they find our environment, doesn’t it? It’s not just Ben. Every single one of them has been 100 per cent positive about pulling on the red shirt so far and we’re confident that will continue to be the case.
“Ben has felt part and parcel of the group for the past five years. It’s just natural to continue on that pathway.”
Woodburn’s sudden elevation into the Liverpool first team, where he has played seven games under Jurgen Klopp, has intensified the Wales versus England debate.
There are clearly vast riches to be made from becoming a member of Gareth Southgate’s side, but Roberts’ coup in unearthing Welsh ancestry in Woodburn early on has won the day for Wales.
He has always been confident the professional manner in which youngsters are handled through the Welsh age-grade system would win the day in the tug-of-war for Woodburn’s services.
Asked if England was a more attractive proposition than Wales, with the prospect of playing regularly in major finals, Roberts responded: “In the past it would have been a problem for us, but not any more.
“There was obviously, and still is, a better chance of getting into the Wales team because we’ve got a smaller pool to choose from. So you got international football but would never go to a World Cup or European Championships.
“Well that’s not the case any more. We’re not just little old Wales to the world after what happened in France last summer.
“Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale are showing you can be a top player in any league in the world and also achieve major things at international level with Wales.
“They are part of a very special group who came through the ranks together, and so are Ben and his team-mates just below them.
“Regardless of background, whether dual qualified or solely Welsh, whenever these youngsters like Ben come into Welsh camp they feel an identity with what we do.
“We call it ‘The Welsh Way’. That’s on and off the field. We have an identity. We talk about the history of the anthem, of becoming a strong group, of how we can achieve success together. They buy into it.
“It’s also important as part of the education they see a pathway to the
senior side. Ben notes how Bale, Ramsey, Joe Allen, Ben Davies and others have come through the system and feels he can do it with Wales, too.
“They know the pathway exists, that we don’t just talk about it. I know it’s an old cliche, but we really do believe if you’re good enough, you’re old enough. The evidence is firmly there in the senior side.
“We’ve had Ben in camps before, training with first team players when there has been an appropriate window. It’s like a club set-up. Of course, the youngsters then see Bale and Ramsey up close as a team-mate and can talk to them first-hand about the Welsh pathway.
“There is a club feel to everything, a fantastic team spirit, where they know transition becomes reality.
“Ben has captained every age group, has got close on 20 international caps. But whether it’s that, someone with 40 or 50, or someone with only two, there’s no right or wrong. Welsh identity is the main thing and everyone has it.
“In our team culture we have to make sure the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. We don’t want that togetherness we see at senior level to prove to be a oneoff at the Euros.
“We don’t want this once in a generation success any more. No, systems have been put in place lower down the scale to ensure Wales keep qualifying for major tournaments.”
Roberts pointed out: “Ben has hit headlines because of what’s happened with Liverpool this season, but our hopes are just as high for others in that Welsh Under-17 team.
“The only thing we can do is continue what we are doing. That is identifying our guys early on, putting them in our regional squads at 13 and making them feel wanted. Emphasising the Welsh identity and our way of doing things.
“In Ben’s case, he came through the north Wales development pathway. If we spot an exceptional talent, and Ben is one, we bring them in a year ahead of schedule. We hold training camps to supplement what they are already doing day to day with their clubs.
“Although only 17, we quickly pushed Ben into the Under-19s and he coped seamlessly. As a general rule of thumb, the physical development between those ages should be enormous, but it hasn’t affected Ben one iota. We know he can pick a pass superbly, but he is also quite strong so is not fazed by the physical aspect of the game.
“He has mainly been a No.10 for us, although recently we have picked him out wide as part of his development.
“He could also play as a centreforward, or certainly a false nine because he is so good and mobile. He could also easily feature as a box-to-box central midfield player who can get stuck in.
“I remember him winning a tackle in one Welsh Under-17s game, breaking things up and then putting a great through ball for Swansea youngster Liam Cullen to score.
“So whether we’re talking Under19s for Wales, or Liverpool at senior level, Ben can deal with that.”