Four uncapped players in Page’s Wales squad for European qualifiers
ROB Page has named four uncapped players in his first Wales squad since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Luke Harris, Jordan James, Ollie Cooper and Nathan Broadhead are included in the 24-man squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers with Croatia and Latvia later this month.
Cooper’s omission from Page’s World Cup plans was a topic of debate in some corners given his strong run of form for Swansea City in the first half of the Championship season, although he did replace Fulham starlet Luke Harris as a standby option to travel alongside Jordan James for the tournament.
Shortly before jetting off to a first World Cup in 64 years, the Wales boss explained he was keen to ensure the pair earned a taste of a major international tournament, and those young guns are likely to inch closer to taking centre-stage over the coming camps.
Ipswich forward Broadhead also returns to the squad, having previously been called up for the World Cup qualifying play-offs and Nations League triple header back in June.
On that occasion, the 24-yearold was forced to pull out with injury, and he will no doubt be determined to make an impression in this camp, as Page plans for something of a new era for Welsh football.
This is the first squad since the retirement of talismanic skipper Gareth Bale back in January, and it’s still not yet clear who will take the captain’s armband going forward.
To add to the upheaval, the likes of Joe Allen, Chris Gunter and Jonny Williams have also taken the decision to step back from international football in favour of continuing their respective club careers.
But here are still a few old heads.
Ben Davies, Aaron Ramsey and Wayne Hennessey among the experienced options called upon for the upcoming doubleheader of qualifiers, which begins with a tough visit to Split to take on Croatia.
Despite recent injury concerns, Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson also earns a place in the squad, although it’s understood he’s already a doubt. Meanwhile, Tom Bradshaw’s sparkling form for Millwall has earned him a first call-up in five years.
Elsewhere, David Brooks recently made his return to a matchday squad with Bournemouth following his recovery from cancer, but isn’t yet ready to link up with the rest of the squad.
Cardiff City duo Rubin Colwill and Mark Harris are among the other notable absentees, with Page not naming a single player from the Bluebirds for this camp.
Wales kick off their Euro 2024 campaign away to Croatia on March 25, before facing Latvia at the Cardiff City Stadium three days later.
Wales squad in full:
Wayne HENNESSEY (Nottingham Forest), Danny WARD (Leicester City), Adam DAVIES (Sheffield United), Ben DAVIES (Tottenham Hotspur), Neco WILLIAMS (Nottingham Forest), Ben CABANGO (Swansea City), Oliver COOPER (Swansea City), Tom LOCKYER (Luton Town), Joe RODON (Rennes- On loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Chris MEPHAM (AFC Bournemouth), Ethan AMPADU (Spezia- On loan from Chelsea), Connor ROBERTS (Burnley), Sorba THOMAS (Blackburn Rovers- On loan from Huddersfield Town), Jordan JAMES (Birmingham City), Nathan BROADHEAD (IpswichTown), Wesley BURNS (Ipswich Town), Aaron RAMSEY (OGC Nice), Joe MORRELL (Portsmouth), Harry WILSON (Fulham), Daniel JAMES (Fulham- On loan from Leeds United), Kieffer MOORE (AFC Bournemouth), Luke HARRIS (Fulham), Brennan JOHNSON (Nottingham Forest), Tom BRADSHAW (Millwall)