Sunderland defender Niall Huggins has earned his first call-up to the Wales senior team for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey. Huggins, a native of York, qualifies for the Welsh national team through his father, who was born in Bangor. He has previously represented Wales at the Under-21 level, earning four caps.
The 22-year-old, who previously played as a full-back for Leeds United, secured his place in the squad thanks to his outstanding performances for Sunderland. These performances also included his first senior goal, a remarkable solo effort against Watford at the Stadium of Light.
Brennan Johnson, who had been sidelined due to injury, returns to the squad for these crucial matches, which will determine whether Wales can secure automatic qualification for the European Championship in Germany next summer. Johnson, a forward for Tottenham Hotspur, had missed the previous match against Croatia due to a hamstring injury.
Despite his recent ankle injury, Ben Davies, another Tottenham player, is named in the 23-player squad. Portsmouth midfielder Joe Morrell is included after serving a two-game suspension. Morrell replaces Dylan Levitt, who plays for Hibernian.
Unfortunately, Regan Poole and Wes Burns, who featured in the friendly against Gibraltar last month, will not be available this time due to knee and shoulder injuries, respectively.
Several players, including Charlie Savage, Josh Low, Luke Harris, and Owen Beck, are absent from the squad and are expected to return to the under-21 set-up for their Euro qualifiers against Iceland and Denmark later this month.
Tom King is the third-choice goalkeeper for the team, as Adam Davies is still recovering from an injury that forced him to leave the Wales camp before the Gibraltar game.
Wales captain Aaron Ramsey is unavailable due to a knee injury that has kept him out of action for the past two months.
Wales is set to face Armenia in Yerevan on November 18 and then welcome Turkey to Cardiff three days later. Two victories in these matches would secure Wales a spot in the European Championships for the third consecutive time.
Group leaders Turkey have already secured their place in Euro 2024, leaving Wales, Armenia, and Croatia to compete for the second automatic qualification spot. If Wales fails to finish in the top two, they are guaranteed a play-off spot in March due to their top-tier status in the last edition of the Nations League.
The full squad for these important qualifiers includes a mix of players from various clubs, demonstrating the depth of Welsh talent in the squad.
