Harry Wilson's Injury: Major Setback for Wales in Nations League
Harry Wilson is facing a race against time to be fit for the start of Wales’ Nations League campaign, dealing Craig Bellamy an early and significant setback as his side step back up to League A.
The Leeds United forward had been named in Bellamy’s squad for a demanding run of fixtures against Portugal, Denmark and Norway in September and October. He was supposed to be one of the attacking pillars of this new era. Instead, he is back in the treatment room.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke confirmed on Friday that the 29-year-old has suffered a quadriceps muscle injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s Premier League game at home to Crystal Palace.
“Harry Wilson is out of this game, a quad injury, he reported some problems after the last game and also during this training week,” Farke said of the 69-cap international, who has scored 17 times for his country. “He will also probably miss the Welsh games, so definitely not good news for him and also not for the Welsh team.”
Wales’ medical staff will want to take their own look, but the tone from Elland Road was clear. For Bellamy, it is a major blow. Wilson has been in outstanding form for his country over the past year, often the difference-maker in tight games and a reliable source of goals and set-piece quality.
And the bad news does not stop there.
Bellamy is already without key defender Joe Rodon, another Leeds player, as well as Cardiff City defensive duo Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio. Two more Cardiff attackers, Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill, are also unavailable because of injury, while Wrexham forward Nathan Broadhead has been ruled out as well.
A squad that was supposed to showcase depth and freshness is suddenly being stripped of some of its most trusted pieces.
The timing could hardly be worse. Wales open their Nations League schedule away to Portugal on 24 September, the first of four fixtures in an extended international window. That trip is followed by a home clash against World Cup quarter-finalists Norway, squeezed between a double-header with Denmark.
Ranked 38th in the world, their lowest position since August 2014, Wales now head into Copenhagen to face a Denmark side sitting 21st in the rankings, with a patched-up squad and a growing injury list.
Norway, again underlining their status as World Cup quarter-finalists, then come to Cardiff on 1 October before Wales round off the window with the return fixture against Denmark on 4 October.
Bellamy wanted this Nations League campaign to be a statement of intent. With Wilson and so many others sidelined, it may instead become an early examination of how deep his rebuild really runs.
