Bristol City defender Joe Low has been named in the full Wales squad for the first time in his career, just two months after making his debut for the Under-21 side.
Bristol-born Low, who earned his first U21 cap in March with a goalscoring performance against Scotland in Spain, has been included in Rob Page’s 25-man squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.
Low spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two Walsall where he made 16 appearances and will return to the High Performance Centre this summer to try and prove to Nigel Pearson he’s worth a place in the senior squad for 2023/24.
Low, who’s been at the City academy since he was seven, led the Robins' U21 side at the start of last season and his impressive performances meant he trained with the first-team before making his debut at Middlesbrough in November. His first start came against Lincoln City in the League Cup three days later but the 21-year-old was substituted at half-time after a challenging 45 minutes.
Low takes the place of Luton Town's Tom Lockyer and is one of four uncapped players in Page’s squad along with Morgan Fox, currently without a club after being released by Stoke, Fulham’s Luke Harris and Liam Cullen of Swansea City. Among the centre-backs selected by Page is Tottenham's Joe Rodon, who Low has previously branded his "idol".
Former Bristol Rovers defender Lockyer has been a mainstay of Welsh squads, and travelled to the World Cup, but has been left out after collapsing during the first half of Luton Town’s Championship play-off victory over Coventry City on Saturday.
Luton boss Rob Edwards said on Monday that Lockyer is “fine” and images of the central defender watching the Hatters’ promotion celebrations from his hospital bed were posted on social media.
Page has included Bournemouth forward David Brooks for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. Brooks, who was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, announced he was cancer-free in May last year. The 25-year-old returned to club action for Bournemouth in March and started the Cherries’ last two Premier League games.
“I am pleased for him because he’s had a long journey,” Wales boss Rob Page said. “I tried to get him on camp (in March) because you want your best players around you.
“He definitely falls into that category. We knew we had to manage it. You don’t go through what he’s gone through and not have little setbacks. Bournemouth have been incredible with the way they have handled it and got him back up to speed. It’s great that we have got him available.”
Wales host Armenia in Cardiff on June 16 before playing Turkey in Samsun three days later. Page’s side made a positive start to Euro 2024 qualifying in March by drawing 1-1 away to World Cup semi-finalists Croatia before beating Latvia 1-0 at home.
Wales squad: W Hennessey (Nottingham Forest), D Ward (Leicester), A Davies (Sheff Utd), J Rodon (Rennes, on loan from Tottenham), B Cabango (Swansea), C Mepham (Bournemouth), J Low (Bristol City) , B Davies (Tottenham), C Roberts (Burnley), M Fox (unattached), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), E Ampadu (Spezia, on loan from Chelsea), J Morrell (Portsmouth), J James (Birmingham), A Ramsey (Nice), H Wilson (Fulham), O Cooper (Swansea), L Harris (Fulham), D Brooks (Bournemouth), D James (Fulham, on loan from Leeds), K Moore (Bournemouth), T Bradshaw (Millwall), N Broadhead (Ipswich), L Cullen (Swansea), B Johnson (Nottingham Forest).
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