Wales manager Rob Page admitted that he "hated" seeing Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon on the bench.
The Welsh defender only managed three Premier League appearances for Spurs last season under the stewardship of Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte following the Portuguese tactician's dismissal.
His lack of game time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw his appearances in the English top flight cut by a quarter after he made 12 appearances the season before.
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With Wales securing their place in this year's World Cup in Qatar, the 24-year-old was forced to leave north London in order to secure first-team football after featuring more for the national side than he did at club level.
In the summer, he found that when he arrived at Ligue 1 side Rennes on loan.
Wales boss, Page, made the blunt admission as he prepares to pick his squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Belgium and Poland at the end of September.
"I hated seeing Joe on the bench every week because he’s such a wonderful talent," he said via the Independent. "I’ve worked with him for years with the under-21s and seen his potential. There’s better to come from Joe, believe me, and going out to play games now will help him achieve that.
"He’s obviously done his homework on Rennes and the league. I think it will suit him as he’s got all the attributes of a top-class centre-half.
"He’s massive for us and he’s never let me down, but you can’t continue to not play because eventually it will catch up with you. When he’s playing week in, week out and coming into camp full of confidence, he is the complete player.
"I love to see Joe on the ball and driving forward. Playing out there in that league will give him the opportunity to do that repetitively every week."
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