O’NEILL’S EURO VISION
Potters manager hopes he’s given Davies the platform to be Wales’ main man
MICHAEL O’neill hopes that giving Adam Davies back the Stoke City gloves will help him become Wales number one in time for this summer’s European Championships.
Davies, aged 28, was on the cusp of taking over as top dog at international level when he suffered a knee injury at Swansea back in October, just as an injury to Wayne Hennessey had opened the door to stake his claim.
He has had to be patient since returning, with Angus Gunn – who had also been out with an ankle injury – getting back to fitness first to replace Joe Bursik, who had seized his chance while both senior men were in the treatment room.
But he was put back in for Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Cardiff and kept his ninth clean sheet in 13-and-a-half games for club and country this season.
“He had to deal with a lot,” said O’neill. “It was a difficult game for a goalkeeper to come in, in particular with the long throws. There are so many bodies in there. He got a little bit fortunate with the one at the end, he knows that, but I thought he dealt with everything else very well.
“His starting positions were good. He made a good save when he was out early to Kieffer Moore’s feet.
“I felt he deserved a chance. He was in our team and got injured and when we changed the goalkeeper from young Joe Bursik, Angus was fit ahead of Adam. It was almost who was fit first would play, so he had to be patient.
“I think he deserves the chance. It wasn’t a reflection on how Angus has done, Angus has done well, but I feel with Adam going away with Wales next week it will give him an opportunity for game time and hopefully that improves his chances of playing.”
And O’neill, a veteran of international management himself, would have no hesitation about handing him a cap in Wales’ first World Cup qualifiers this month against Belgium and Czech Republic.
“No, not at all. I think he’s ready to play,” he said.
“It’s not for me to tell Robert Page who to play but I have no doubt that Adam would not let him down in that situation at all.”
He added: “I think we had six or seven Wales players on in the end.
We haven’t taken anything out of Wales since I came to the club so that was the message! I think Joe Allen, as an ex-swansea player would have loved to have scored the winner.”
Davies joined Stoke in the summer of 2019 on a three-year deal but had to wait until last summer and the restart behind closed doors to get his break.
In all he has kept 11 clean sheets in 17 games since replacing Jack Butland – and he could be heard dishing out instructions.
O’neill said: “He’s a good talker. I think that comes from playing a lot of games. He’s played a lot of games in League One and he’s got a lot of experience for a goalkeeper.
“He’s had to be patient. He did well for us last year when he came in at the tail end of the season and he started as our number one. He was ahead of Jack Butland.
“Unfortunately injury deprived him at a time he was getting momentum so I was pleased to give him the opportunity (against
Cardiff ).” Rhys Norrington-davies, Allen and Rabbi Matondo have also been named in a 31-man Wales squad.
Striker Christian Norton, who made his Stoke first-team debut at Cardiff in midweek, and under-23s left-back Eddie Jones have been named in the Wales under-21s squad.