Joe Allen has made the Wales squad after proving his fitness ahead of the Qatar World Cup. With 72 caps, Allen has played a significant role in several of Wales’ recent victories; however, a hamstring injury has kept him out of action for Swansea City since mid-September. The 32-year-old is listed among the midfielders by head coach Rob Page, who also picked Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey despite their limited playing time this year. Bale joined Los Angeles FC in July and has only played 327 minutes for them, but he scored in the MLS Cup shootout victory over Philadelphia Union last weekend.
“How well Gareth Bale fits is not anything that bothers me. He recently scored a crucial goal for LA, is now back in the country, and is in good physical condition,” Wales manager Rob Page said after Joe Allen was named in the World Cup squad. “I have no concerns at all because he always delivers when he shows up for us. To give Joe Allen the best chance of playing in the opening game, we’re going to throw everything at him. He has been a part of Wales for a long time and is crucial to the kind of play we want to employ.”
Ramsey made his Ligue 1 debut for Nice in August and scored, but since then, he has only made six starts. The third-choice goalie for the postponed Euro 2020 Championships, behind Wayne Hennessey and Danny Ward, was Sheffield United goalkeeper Adam Davies, who had only won three caps overall. Page acknowledges that choosing not to include Tyler Roberts and Rhys Norrington-Davies in his World Cup roster was among the hardest things he had to do. Due to a hamstring injury, Norrington-Davies is out, and Roberts has only scored once in 12 Championship games for QPR this year.
For more football news, click here
