Rob Page has described the loss of “big players” Aaron Ramsey and Brennan Johnson for Wales’ vital Euro 2024 qualifier with Croatia as a “blow”, but is confident the pair will be fit for final group games in November.
Skipper Ramsey misses out with a knee tendon problem that has forced him to miss Cardiff’s last five games, while Tottenham’s new £47.5million forward Johnson is sidelined by a hamstring injury sustained in the north London derby draw at Arsenal.
“I don’t think the injuries are too serious but unfortunately it has put both players out of this camp,” Wales manager Page said.
“It is a blow for us because they are big players for us. Aaron has probably been playing his most relaxed football, so that is an added blow.
“Brennan has picked up an injury. To what level we still don’t know yet, but it rules him out of this camp.
“In spite of the injuries, we’ve still got enough in the team from a forward perspective to create chances against Croatia.
“We are quite strong in those positions with David Brooks, Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore.”
There have been fears that 32-year-old Ramsey may require surgery after making such a promising start to the season upon returning to hometown club Cardiff.
But Page is hopeful Ramsey and Johnson will both be available for the November double-header against Armenia and Turkey, which will decide if Wales secure automatic Euro 2024 qualification or are forced to rely on the play-offs.
“To be mentioning surgery suggests it is a significant injury,” Page said. “I had injuries as a player and you can let it heal naturally or go down the surgery route.
“I would always take the option for it to heal naturally, so I get it why he’s gone down that route.
“I don’t think there’s going to be a spell of games going beyond November that he’s going to miss.
“So we’re confident that we can get him back for November’s camp providing how well he heals. But we’ll have to wait and see.”
On Johnson, Page added: “It’s not a serious one but the timing dictates it (his omission). If he’s not going to be right for Spurs, then it’s not fair for us to pick him and try and play him.”
Page has handed first senior call-ups to midfielder Charlie Savage – son of former Wales international Robbie – and full-back Owen Beck, the great nephew of Ian Rush.
Uncapped Fulham teenager Luke Harris also returns to the squad, with Wales hosting Gibraltar in a Wrexham friendly, four days before the Croatia clash in Cardiff.
Asked if Savage senior, his former teammate, had been in touch, Page said: “Numerous times, I can’t get him off the phone. I’ve had to tell him: ‘Stop texting me, I know he’s doing OK.’
“You know what Rob’s like, he’s very enthusiastic, but Charlie can take care of himself.
“Look at what Rob went through when he left Man United years ago to get a career for himself going at Crewe. No different to Charlie, who has gone out to Reading where he has been playing and scoring goals.”
Wrexham striker Paul Mullin has been put on the standby list after scoring nearly 80 goals in just over two seasons for the Red Dragons, now in Sky Bet League Two after last season’s promotion from the National League.
Mullin, 28, who qualifies through his Welsh-born grandmother, has only just returned to action after puncturing a lung and fracturing four ribs on Wrexham’s pre-season tour to the United States.
Page said: “He’s on standby for the squad and one step away.
“We monitor Welsh players up and down the country, and if they are scoring goals at whatever level we’ll take note.”
Bristol City Women 0-4 Man City Women: Hosts relegated as Fowler double inspires WSL leaders
Mary Fowler scored twice to set WSL leaders Manchester City on their way to a 4-0 rout of Bristol City, who suffered relegation as a result, on Sunday.
With Arsenal having drawn with Everton earlier in the day, Man City knew a victory would be enough to take the title race down to two teams.
That victory duly arrived in emphatic fashion, with all four of Man City's goals arriving in the second half.
Fowler's fantastic strike opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, with the Australia international doubling her tally soon after, paving the way for an Amy Rodgers own goal and Alex Greenwood's late header to seal a huge victory.
Arsenal are now out of the title race, with Chelsea - who have two games in hand on Gareth Taylor's team - the only side capable of catching Man City.
The Robins, meanwhile, will be playing in the second tier again next term.
Data Debrief: Bristol heading down with a whimper
Bristol City have failed to score in their last five games in the WSL, a run of 544 minutes without a goal.
They mustered just 0.09 expected goals (xG) to Man City's 3.4, with the visitors having now kept a clean sheet in nine of their 20 league games this season.
De Rossi demands more from 'tired' Roma ahead of crunch run
Daniele De Rossi acknowledged his Roma team may be tired, but he insisted they must not allow themselves to be embarrassed.
Roma fought back to draw 2-2 with last season's Serie A champions Napoli in a pulsating fixture on Sunday.
Tammy Abraham's late header secured a point for De Rossi's team, who took the lead through Paulo Dybala's penalty before going behind to goals from Matias Olivera and Victor Osimhen.
With Serie A set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, Roma occupy fifth spot with four matches remaining, but sixth-placed Atalanta are just two points behind with a game in hand.
There is also the small matter of a Europa League semi-final against Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen on the cards over the coming weeks, and De Rossi set the stall out.
"We drew, it is not a result to throw away, but it is not the result or the performance that we wanted," Roma coach Daniele De Rossi told Sky Sports Italia.
"At times you can steal the ball off Napoli, but we then gave it back again too many times. Napoli had a lot of chances in the first half, we did better in the second, but we have to do better.
"Look, we are tired, but we cannot start thinking that we’re tired and that means we can be embarrassed in the final few weeks of the season."
Roma host Leverkusen on Thursday before taking on Juventus on May 5, with a crunch clash against Atalanta – who are also into the Europa League semi-finals – set to follow after the away leg against Xabi Alonso's team.
Key to a successful end to the campaign for Roma will be keeping Dybala fit. The Argentine has been involved in the joint-most goals (12) in Serie A since the turn of the year, scoring nine and setting up three, level with Juve's Dusan Vlahovic.
PSG's latest Ligue 1 title arrives as Monaco lose to Lyon
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned as Ligue 1 champions after Lyon overcame Monaco 3-2 on Sunday.
A 4-1 midweek win over Lorient ensured that one more victory would be enough for Luis Enrique's team to get over the line, but PSG failed to get the job done themselves when they faced relegation-threatened Le Havre on Saturday.
That game was the 700th match of the QSI era at PSG, and the club's 1,900th in France's top flight.
However, PSG's wait to win their third straight title did not last long, as less than 24 hours later, Lyon – who will face the Parisians in the final of the Coupe de France at the end of May – came out on top in a topsy turvy encounter with second-placed Monaco.
Substitute Malick Fofana was the matchwinner for Lyon, and ultimately the player who handed the title to PSG.
Wissam Ben Yedder had put Monaco ahead in the opening minute, but quickfire goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Said Benrahma turned the match on its head before half-time.
Ben Yedder netted his second to restore parity on the hour mark, and thought he had sealed his hat-trick when he volleyed in from a free-kick, only to have strayed offside.
With only a win good enough for Monaco to stay in the fight, the visitors were then caught out in the 84th minute, with Fofana racing onto Lacazette's throughball and finishing calmly.
After a dismal start to the season, relegation looked a real possibility for Lyon, but they are now, with three games remaining, still in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
PSG on the other hand now have 12 Ligue 1 titles to their name, with 10 of those coming under QSI's ownership. Aside from the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season, five of their last six league titles have been secured before the start of May.
It also means Luis Enrique remains in the running for a treble in his first season at the club, with PSG taking on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals next week.
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