Ryan Giggs has urged Gareth Bale’s Wales teammates to take some of the strain off their talisman as they head into their Euro 2020 qualification campaign.
David Brooks, Harry Wilson and Daniel James are three exciting youngsters the Wales manager wants to step up and share the load – starting with tonight’s friendly with Trinidad and Tobago at Wrexham.
Bale is just a few months short of his 30th birthday, but the Real Madrid striker remains Wales’ main man ahead of Sunday’s opening Euro 2020 qualifier against Slovakia in Cardiff.
Wales’ record goal-scorer completed his first 90 minutes of 2019 on Saturday and scored as Real beat Celta Vigo 2-0 in La Liga.
“Usually when Gareth scores he goes on a run, so that’s good for us,” said Giggs ahead of tonight’s game at the Racecourse Ground.
“We all know what a talent he is, and if he plays games he’ll score goals.
“But also I want to take the pressure off him at the same time, so if he’s not available we’re not just reliant on one player.”
Bale is unlikely to start this evening, allowing Giggs to cast his eye over his young forwards with Sam Vokes and Tom Lawrence both ruled out by injury.
Arsenal playmaker Aaron Ramsey (thigh) and Chelsea midfielder Ethan Ampadu (back) are also absent, although the former is expected to be fit for the Slovakia game.
“With the emergence of Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Dan James we’ve got so many attacking options,” Giggs said.
“That’s what I want. But you have to recognise that you’ve got a special player, one of the best in the world, and play to his strengths also.
“The Trinidad & Tobago game will be a balancing act as players are at different stages.
“Some players need games, some players don’t. But I’ve challenged those that will play to impress because there are still places up for grabs on Sunday.”
Veteran Ashley Williams is likely to captain Wales and win his 84th cap as the on-loan Stoke defender needs game-time.
Williams has not started for Stoke since the start of February, but two appearances for Wales this week will see him equal the 85-cap mark of Gary Speed and become his country’s joint-third most capped player.
“To think I would get as many caps as Gary Speed when I won my first one was unthinkable,” Williams said.
“It would be a massive achievement. To actually achieve that would be something I would be very proud of.”
When Bale made his Wales debut – also against Trinidad and Tobago – in 2006, few would have predicted how the next 13 years would pan out.
Even former Wales defender Danny Gabbidon’s comparison with Wayne Rooney at the time seemed like optimistic patriotism, but Bale has exceeded all expectations.
Bale made his international debut against the Caribbean side in May 2006 in Austria at the age of 16 years, 315 days, becoming Wales’s youngest-ever player – a record since broken by Wilson.
Coming on 10 minutes into the second half, Bale eventually provided the assist for Robert Earnshaw to grab a winner in the 87th minute in a 2-1 win.
Bale had played only 180 minutes of first-team football for Southampton prior to making his Wales debut, but then Wales boss John Toshack took a chance on the youngster.
Arron Davies, Jason Brown and Glyn Garner also made their debuts that day, but only Davies went on to win another cap, earning just three in total.
Wales were ranked 73rd in the world at the time, but are now in the top 20, and were even up to eighth in 2015.
Toshack said after the game: “Gareth can be very pleased with his performance and his part in the winning goal. We have been very impressed with him while he has been with us, there is a lot more to come from him but that was certainly a great start.”
Then at Southampton, before his 2007 move to Tottenham, a wide-eyed Bale said : “I wasn’t expecting all this this year. I’m proud and so are my parents obviously. I just want to build on it from here.
“It was exciting just warming up on side and I was just wishing I could get on. Thankfully I came on and I managed to set one up.”