Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea) born 2000, Midfielder.
A regular inclusion in the Wales senior squad since 2018, Ethan is I am sure very familiar to all of you, and it would be superfluous for me to regurgitate details from the past. Already capped three dozen times, he will soon be approaching reaching a collection of a half century of appearances and will surely do so at an age much younger than anyone has previously reached that milestone. Again, as I am sure you are well aware of, he has already contributed significantly to the recent successes achieved by the team, but it can be anticipated that he will become even more influential in the coming seasons as well as being a strong candidate to lead them during that time. Chelsea signed Ethan as a youngster from Exeter, where he had impressed after making his first team debut as a fifteen year old. He has spent the majority of his time away from the club but has gained plenty of experience at the top level with loan periods in the Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A. Speculation regarding Ethan’s future has been an ongoing topic during the summer months, much of it predicting another loan assignment and Serie A being suggested as the favoured destination. We are now a couple of weeks into the season and the transfer window is coming to its conclusion in a few days, with still no definitive resolution apparent. The strong likelihood is that another season in Italian football awaits him, but until it is formally announced, other options are possible. Hopefully, it will be a situation whereby Ethan will be playing first team football regularly, although there does seem some chance that he will remain as part of Chelsea’s squad and have quite a battle for adequate game time if that is the scenario.

Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest) born 2001, Forward.
Over the past two seasons, Brennan has been presented with a couple of challenges which he has undoubtedly succeeded in excelling at. Two seasons ago, he joined Lincoln City on loan and his performances were credited with assisting in providing impetus to the team as they almost secured promotion. Last season he remained at Forest and established himself as a regular member of the team as they triumphed in securing promotion to the Premier League. He will now be posed a new challenge as he gets acclimatized to the demands of elite league football, one that the expectancy is that he will prove equal to, when judging from how he has been proficient in his performances for Wales. The national management team will be pleased that he will feature against high class opposition on a regular basis and be able to add to his experiences whilst doing so. This will be regarded as beneficial when the team travels to Qatar later in the year.

Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest) born 2001, Defender.
Although it was surprising to some, as Neco exhibited the quality required when given the opportunity to perform at the high demand level of the Liverpool first team a couple of seasons ago, it was an ability that had been regarded as a strong possibility during his progression through the development teams. With only limited appearances available for him as the team produced high class performances, it was good that he experienced regular first team football at Fulham in the second half of last season. He didn’t disappoint during his loan assignment and consequentially Forest were the successful bidders for his services as they negotiated an agreeable fee to prize him from Merseyside. As with Brennan, he will also gain valuable Premier League experience during the few months leading up to the much anticipated Wales World Cup games. There will also be the added benefit of becoming familiar with each other’s games at club level, which should enhance their understanding when performing for their country.
    
Three players who have already established regular selection for the Wales senior squad and still considered as young guns. It is a very competitive scenario for those places but is one they have fully merited, along with their starting roles in games. It is in fact their last season of eligibility for inclusion in this category, as next season’s U-21 squad can only include those born in 2002 and later. It is of course the start of what will be a historic season for the Welsh team, the impending return to World Cup finals competition will undoubtedly have them look ahead somewhat, although their focus for the present will be to assist in successes for their club teams. Hopefully, it will be a fruitful time for them, and they will have a good preparation period over the next four months. Whatever successes that prompt us national fans to celebrate as the team performs on the world stage, will almost certainly rely on positive contributions by all three and we will undoubtedly be cheering them fervently in their task.