Head coach Wilkinson highlighted Davies’s composure and potential following a lengthy injury lay-off after she was named in the squad for the next qualifiers ahead of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Davies, a 19-year-old defender with Manchester City, is back involved with the national set-up after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in May 2025.
While she will initially be eased back in as a training player ahead of the upcoming qualifying double-header against Albania, Wilkinson made clear just how highly she rates the young talent.
“Mayzee’s coming in as a training player,” she explained.
“We don’t want to put that pressure on her at this point, but to have her back is really important.
“She’s been working hard and we’ve been in touch with her to make sure she’s feeling seen during a long process. Knee injuries are so individual as well, and comparing herself to anyone else is dangerous.
“She’s done a great job of just checking the boxes and I love seeing the love for her from her teammates. She wouldn’t be coming in if she wasn’t able to contribute in training.
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“She’s still very young, but her ability on the ball, her calmness, and just in general, she just doesn’t have nerves. It’s an amazing thing to watch.
“Our young players are just so confident, without arrogance, just confident that they’ve done the work. She’s got a bright future, and we’re really excited to get her back with her teammates.”
Davies’ return is one of the stand-out elements of Wilkinson’s latest squad announcement as Wales prepare for two crucial fixtures that could shape their path to the the Women’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
Wales currently sit top of their qualifying group after collecting four points from their opening matches — a draw with Czech Republic and an emphatic win over Montenegro — and Wilkinson has made no secret of her ambitions for the campaign.
“We’re looking to win the group,” said Wilkinson.
“That’s the goal and the ambition, and we don’t want to be shy about saying that.
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“Welsh football is really at an exciting time where our standards now are that we expect to be at every major tournament on the men’s and women’s side. That is a huge testament to the work being done by the association.”
The upcoming double-header begins in Wrexham on April 14 before the return fixture in Elbasan just four days later, and Wilkinson is demanding that her players build on a solid start.
“That was an important result for us,” she added.
“Four points from the first window is not a bad thing at all, we’re very pleased with it.
“But I think there’s this step up that I expect from the team and our standards, and for them to hold those standards for themselves, no matter who the opposition are.
“I thought there were good moments against Montenegro, but equally I thought we could be even sharper.
“I’m glad my standards are that high and I’m glad that the team standards are that high. So we go again against Albania, and we need to make sure that we’re hitting the ground running because it’s going to be a tight race with a few teams in our group.”
Wilkinson is wary of the threat posed by Albania, despite Wales entering the matches as favourites.
“They’ve got a few really excellent players,” she said.
“On any given day, if you don’t show up, you’ll be punished. On paper I think that we are the favourites in those games, but we will need to show up.”
Alongside Davies’ return, there are changes in the goalkeeping department, with Olivia Clark unavailable through injury.
That has opened the door for uncapped players Lucy Farrell-Shrouder and Poppy Soper to join Safia Middleton-Patel in the squad.
The match in Wrexham also marks a return to a venue that holds significance for the national side, as Wilkinson continues her efforts to connect with communities across the country.
“I love going around Wales,” she explained. “It’s not the easiest thing for my and players as all our equipment is here (in Cardiff) and it’s almost like having two away games just because we have to bring everything with us.
But it’s invaluable to be out in the community and to be visible to young girls across the country.
“We’ve got 20,000 female players now across the country and we want them to be able to come to our games and not just have to travel to Cardiff.”
Wales squad: L Farrell-Shrouder (Stoke, on loan from Burnley), S Middleton-Patel (Man Utd), P Soper (Rugby), C Holland (Liverpool), M Davies (Man City), E Powell (Bristol City), R Roberts (Sunderland), H Ladd (C Palace), G Evans (Liverpool), C Estcourt (Portsmouth), L Woodham (Liverpool), E Morgan (Bristol City), M Ross (Charlton), S Ingle (Bristol City), L Joel (Newcastle), A James (Seattle Reign), C Jones (IFK Norrkoping), T Teisar (Plymouth, on loan from Bristol City), A Wilding (Portsmouth), M Griffiths (Sunderland, on loan from Man Utd), P Poole (Plymouth), H Cain (Leicester), R Rowe (Nottm Forest), F Morgan (West Ham), E Hughes (C Palace).
