Bale will be a beast in the East says Giggs
REMINDER: Shane Duffy’s scar...and pictured with Expressman Banks how serious this was. My Dad had a couple of hours to wait before he knew if I would make it.
“I’m happy I was not awake and not aware what was happening because I would probably have panicked.
“The doctors did an unbelievable job. I cannot thank them enough. I know I am lucky to be alive.” That was just the start of the battle for started to feel more like myself. I had to build myself up, I lost a lot of muscle. It was tough.
“I had been in the Everton first team and then that happened and you think, ‘Here I am at Yeovil, I’m never going to get back there’. But you have to crack on.”
Duffy eventually left Everton to join Blackburn and it was after two years at Ewood Park that Hughton first season back the top flight.
And he feels he owes manager Chris Hughton a huge debt. “I can’t speak highly enough of him, for what he has done for me personally, and at this club to bring them from where they were when he first came in to now,” says Duffy.
“Now he is getting the credit he fully deserves. He’s brought my game on to a level I thought I could probably never get to.
“He has both sides of it – the coaching and managing a squad. He is very level-headed – you don’t know if he’s happy or not! What you see is what you get and that’s why he has respect from everyone in the game.”
Duffy is licking his lips at the prospect of a physical battle with his old Everton pal Romelu Lukaku tomorrow too. He has matched all manner of top-class strikers this season in players such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Eden Hazard, but this one will be special.
“We were there at the same time. Rom has done brilliant and now he is regarded as one of the top strikers in the world.
“He’s still young. He has a lot of pressure on him trying to deliver goals for Manchester United – not an easy task. But the goals he has got show what he can do.”
Meanwhile, Duffy believes his defensive partner Dunk should have been included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
Dunk has been overlooked by Three Lions manager Southgate for the forthcoming international friendlies against Holland and Italy.
Dunk’s chances of being on the plane to Russia appear to be extremely slim but Duffy feels his 26-year-old Albion team-mate is ready to represent his country.
“I would have him in it, but I’m not English,” said Duffy.
“I think he deserves it. If he keeps going the way he’s going, it’s only a matter of time for him.” in RYAN GIGGS believes Wales’ China Cup campaign can get the best out of Gareth Bale after he targeted silverware in his first two games in charge of his country.
After succeeding Chris Coleman as Wales manager, Giggs’ immediate priority is a trip to the Far East which begins with a clash against hosts China in Nanning next Thursday.
Bale has been named in Wales’ travelling party – Aaron Ramsey is the headline absentee due to injury – despite calf and hamstring problems of his own this campaign. And Giggs hopes international duty can get Bale back firing.
“There are players for whom China is an ideal trip for them to get games and minutes under their belt and it is the same for Gareth,” said Giggs.
“He’s started the majority of Real’s league games, but it’s just the last two in the Champions League. I was at the first game with PSG where he came on and did well in the last 20 or 25 minutes.
“All players that go out to China are preparing for playing both the games and Gareth falls into that. You want your best players available and Gareth is a tremendous player. He’s someone who lights up the pitch whenever he’s on it.”
Arsenal midfielder Ramsey will not travel to China and will undergo what Wales described as a “small procedure” during the international break.
Giggs revealed experienced midfielder David Edwards has retired from Wales duty.
Ashley Williams remains captain of the squad in which Chris Mepham, Connor Roberts, Billy Bodin and Michael Crowe all get their first senior international call-ups. Goalkeeper Danny Ward has not been selected after complications with his visa.
After meeting China on Thursday, Giggs’ side will face Uruguay or the Czech Republic in their final China Cup game a week on Monday.
WALES SQUAD: