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.

Not for the first time Gareth Bale’s leading role in the soap opera that is Real Madrid is under scrutiny. Neil Masuda wonders why his Spanish critics can’t just do what Manchester City fans do with Sergio Aguero – allow his feet to do the talking. For a man of few words, Gareth Bale sure knows how to rile the locals in Spain. La Liga have just asked the Spanish Football Federation to punish Bale for a “provocative gesture” after he celebrated scoring in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid.

Chris Gunter becomes Wales’ most capped male international when he makes his 93rd appearance for his country, against Albania in Elbasan. Dai Sport’s Terry Phillips first watched Gunter play when he was a young schoolboy with Cardiff City almost two decades ago.  Chris Gunter has come a long way since his schoolboy days supporting Cardiff […]

Ryan Giggs insists he is not in danger of upsetting Real Madrid by taking Gareth Bale to Albania to play in Tuesday night’s friendly. The Wales manager chose to take Bale with the squad to Elbasan, even though the player has suffered from a number of injuries this season that have sparked debate in Spain over his commitment to the club’s cause compared to his desire to play for his country. Bale will have travelled over 3,000 miles by the time he returns to Madrid before he is expected to be available for La Liga action at Eibar on Saturday.

Chris Gunter has made a cheeky request to Gareth Bale, saying: “Mate, can I borrow your plane? Wales full-back Gunter is hoping the Real Madrid star will lend him his private jet to fly out family for his record-breaking Wales appearance in Albania. The Reading defender will become Wales’ most capped player on Tuesday night when he overtakes former goalkeeper Neville Southall’s 92-game haul.

Despite a Gareth Bale goal and feverish finish, Wales’ hopes of promotion to the top tier of the Nations League ended with a 2-1 defeat to a streetwise Denmark in Cardiff. In another game that undermined the value of this new tournament compared to the old futility of international friendlies, Wales were edged out by the classy Danes in an often fractious and frenetic clash. But Wales manager Ryan Giggs can take consolation from highly encouraging displays from his youngsters against one of the best current form sides in European football.

Ryan Giggs has sprung a selection surprise by naming Anderlecht defender James Lawrence in the Wales squad for the games against Denmark and Albania. The Henley-on-Thames born player was on the books as a youngster at Arsenal, QPR and Ajax before joining the Belgium outfit in August 2018.

Ryan Giggs has told Wales it is time to prove they are much more than a two-man team. The Wales manager will send his country into Nations League duty against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday night, without their two biggest influencers – Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. It will be the first time neither has played in a competitive fixture since Ramsey made his debut in 2008 and the omens in Dublin are not encouraging.

A bad night for Wales fans grew worse with the news that Gareth Bale looks certain to miss Tuesday’s UEFA Nations League match against the Republic of Ireland. After seeing his team dismantled and left deflated by 4-1 home defeat to Spain on Thursday, Wales manager Ryan Giggs then revealed that Bale – who missed the friendly – is unlikely to recover from a groin injury. “It is very unlikely at this point,” Giggs told Sky Sports about Bale’s availability after the Spain defeat.

Ryan Giggs is expecting a fierce Irish backlash when he takes his Wales team to Dublin for the third round of the UEFA League of Nations to meet Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland side. While Giggs was in dreamland after his home debut as manager turned into a 4-1 rout at Cardiff City Stadium last month, opposite number O’Neill had his head in his hands after the mauling.  Things didn’t go as well in Denmark the following week with a 2-0 defeat in Aarhus, but Giggs remains confident his side can repeat their heroics against the Irish in Dublin. They meet Spain next week at the Principality Stadium in a warm-up friendly that is set to attract a 50,000+ crowd.

Gareth Bale appears to have won his battle to take on Spain in a game that Wales manager Ryan Giggs says will provide the Real Madrid star with extra motivation. Bale missed Real’s Champions League defeat at CSKA Moscow on Tuesday with a groin injury picked up in the goalless Madrid derby against Atletico last weekend. But Bale is hopeful of returning […]

Ethan Ampadu and the other bright young things who shone for Ryan Giggs on Thursday night have been told they must keep their sparkle. Having helped Wales thrash the Republic of Ireland 4-1, the foursome who made their first competitive starts – Amapdu, Connor Roberts, David Brooks and Chris Mepham – have set an impressively high standard. It’s one that their manager wants them to maintain as they face Denmark on Sunday in their second UEFA Nations League match in Aahus.