Croatia captain Luka Modric says Gareth Bale’s problems at Real Madrid will not affect him while on Euro 2020 duty for Wales. Bale comes up against his Real team-mate and great friend Modric in Osijek on Saturday, having suffered a nightmare end to the season at the Bernabeu. The Welshman was dropped from the starting XI, and boss Zinedine Zidane even refused to bring him off the bench in the final LaLiga game when Los Blancos were losing 2-0 at home to Real Betis.

Daniel James can cope with the burden of becoming a Manchester United star, according to, arguably, the club’s biggest ever. Wales manager Ryan Giggs played more games than anyone else at United – 963 – and won more trophies with 34 over the course of 22 seasons. James is just starting out on his Old Trafford journey as he nears completion of an £18m move from Swansea City and at 21 is already four years older than his national manager was when he first played for the club.

Neil Taylor aims to gain more success dealing with Luka Modric this weekend than he did as a naïve Wales newbie almost a decade ago. Saturday’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Osijek will pitch Wales full-back Taylor up against the skills of the brilliant Modric, the Ballon d’Or holder, who will look to undermine Welsh hopes at the intimidating Stadion Gradski Vrt. Back in 2010, Taylor came on as a substitute for his Wales debut and wanted to impress then manager John Toshack by getting stuck into Modric.

Daniel James is expected to complete a £15m move from Swansea City to Manchester United today. The 21-year-old winger is understood to have been released from Wales’ camp in Chester to undergo a medical and sign up for the Premier League giants. It is a move that Swansea fans have been bracing themselves for since the end of the season and they will be hoping it does not signal the start of a wave of departures from the managerless club.

Ryan Giggs is backing his “Mr Reliable” to get back to the Premier League. Joe Allen will be tasked with matching Real Madrid mega-star Luka Modric when he wins his 50th Welsh cap in Croatia this weekend, but will then have to return to playing in the Championship at Stoke City for a second season this winter. But Giggs believes the 29-year-old is still good enough to get back into the top flight and repeat the form he showed there previously with Swansea City, Liverpool and Stoke.

Jayne Ludlow praised the staying power of her Wales team as Kayleigh Green’s late header ended their long goal drought and delivered victory over New Zealand. Wales manager Ludlow saw her side win 1-0 in Cardiff against the World Cup-bound Ferns, who had a penalty saved by goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan. Green nodded home in stoppage time at Leckwith Stadium, bringing an end to Wales’ unwanted run of seven games without a goal.

Jayne Ludlow insists there will be no panic in Cardiff tonight (Tuesday) despite the fact her Wales team are seeking a first goal in over 10 hours of football. New Zealand – fresh from a stunning 1-0 victory over England at the weekend – are the opponents at Leckwith Stadium, where Wales aim to end their drought. The friendly will offer Ludlow some pointers before the Euro 2021 qualification campaign begins, against opponents who must now be considered a dark horse at the World Cup which begins in France on Friday.

Daniel James could still miss Wales’ Euro 2020 qualifiers next month following the death of his father, despite being named in Ryan Giggs’ squad on Wednesday. James missed Wales’ training camp in Portugal last week after being granted compassionate leave following the death of his father Kevan. But the exciting Swansea City winger, who has been strongly linked with a £15million summer move to Manchester United, has told Giggs that he wants to be part of the Euro 2020 double-header in Croatia and Hungary.

Ryan Giggs insists it matters little to him – or Wales – if Gareth Bale’s Spanish adventure ends this summer and he returns to the Premier League. The future of Wales’ biggest star, and still their most important player, is unclear after his season ended in rejection at Real Madrid. But as Giggs named Bale in his squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Croatia and Hungary on June 8 and 11, the manager stressed that the uncertainty over his talisman will not affect the team’s campaign.

Kieffer Moore is one of seven new faces called up by Ryan Giggs for Wales’ training squad ahead of next month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Croatia and Hungary. Barnsley striker Moore – who was born in Torquay but who has a grandmother from Llanrug, near Caernarfon – joins several other unfamiliar names at the Algarve training camp from May 22-28, but injured pair Aaron Ramsey and Ethan Ampadu both miss out. Juventus-bound Ramsey has not played since April 18, when he suffered the hamstring injury which prematurely ended his Arsenal career and sees him miss the Gunners’ Europa League final date with Chelsea.

Liverpool players came up with a game-changing corner routine during the half-time break at Cardiff City Stadium. The teams were locked at 0-0 and the Bluebirds were matching their visitors when Georginio Wijnaldum smashed home just before the hour on the way to a 2-0 win. “That wasn’t from the training ground , far from […]

Harry Wilson is counting down the days to Wales’ next Euro qualifier and the chance to take centre stage instead of watch from the sidelines. The Derby County star – on loan duty under Frank Lampard from parent club Liverpool – has six Championship matches remaining with the Rams which will determine whether or not their season is extended with play-offs. Either way, Wilson is already looking forward to Wales’ second qualifier out in Croatia on June 8