The latest Wales squad has sparked controversy with some surprise call-ups, raising eyebrows among fans and pundits alike. Meanwhile, Cardiff City boss Omer Riza addressed his side’s deepening relegation worries following a damaging home defeat to Luton Town, admitting his team “must show more fight” to avoid the drop as pressure mounts in the final stretch of the season.
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00:00Commentary teenager Kai Andrews is the surprise name in a Wales squad disrupted by injuries for the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign.
00:12Andrews, a Wales under-19 international, is currently on loan at Motherwell and impressed in their William Hill Premiership victory at Rangers last weekend.
00:22The 18-year-old midfielder, who qualifies for Wales through his Ambercarn-born grandmother, has made two senior appearances for Coventry and was sent out on loan by the Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard in January to gain first-team experience.
00:38Wales begin their World Cup campaign home to Kazakhstan in Cardiff before visiting North Macedonia three days later and will be without key figures.
00:49Manager Craig Bellamy has lost central midfielder Ilthan Ampadu and attacker Harry Wilson, arguably Wales' two most important players to injury.
00:58Captain Aaron Ramsey suffered suspected hamstring damage playing for Cardiff City on Tuesday and has been replaced by Tom Lawrence.
01:07Rangers forward Lawrence has not played for Wales since a friendly win in Mexico in March 2021.
01:14Sheffield United defender Rhys Norrington-Davies and Ipswich winger Wes Burns both present in November as Wales beat Turkey to top spot in their nation's league group.
01:25There are also recalls for Sheffield United goalkeeper Adam Davies, Coventry City full-back Jada Silva and Rangers winger Rabih Matondo, who is currently on loan at German club Hannover.
01:37A furious Omar Reza blasted his Cardiff City players after slipping to defeat against relegation rivals Luton Town and putting in a dreadful display at the worst possible moment.
01:49Reza recently said his side had dealt a psychological blow on Cardiff's relegation rivals after beating Hull City but it was pretty damning when asked whether Luton had just done the same to them.
02:01They weren't great, they weren't great today. They're not a great team, Reza said. We've given them the opportunity to claw back some points against us and that's on us.