Bellamy Faces Key Absences Ahead of Nations League Opener

Craig Bellamy’s first Nations League A campaign has been rocked before a ball is even kicked.

Wales have lost Harry Wilson, Nathan Broadhead and Karl Darlow from the squad, stripping the new head coach of three significant options just days before a daunting opener away to Portugal.

Wilson, the creative heartbeat of this side in recent years, had been a major doubt with a quad problem. The Leeds attacking midfielder, so often the difference-maker in tight games, has now been ruled out.

Broadhead’s absence had been looming too. The Wrexham forward has failed to shake off a thigh issue and will also miss the start of the campaign, removing another attacking spark from Bellamy’s plans.

Then came the biggest surprise. Darlow, installed as first-choice goalkeeper, has withdrawn despite a sharp week at club level. The Manchester United stopper made his debut for the club in the EFL Cup last week and was on the bench for their Premier League draw with Fulham on Sunday, but will not link up with Wales.

Bellamy has turned to experience and youth to plug the gaps.

• Veteran Leicester City goalkeeper David Cornell has been drafted in, offering a steady, if uncapped, pair of hands.
• Huddersfield Town forward Joe Taylor also gets the call, a chance for the lively attacker to make his first mark on the international stage.
• Reading midfielder Charlie Savage, already on the radar after his club performances, joins them as another uncapped replacement.

The schedule offers no easing-in period.

Wales open their Nations League A campaign against Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday, a trip that would test them even at full strength. Denmark await in Copenhagen the following Sunday, another heavyweight assignment in a brutal start.

After that, the competition comes home. Norway visit Cardiff on Thursday, 1 October, before Denmark make the return trip to the Welsh capital three days later.

Injuries have stripped Bellamy of key figures before his first major examination. The fixtures will show, very quickly, how deep this Wales squad really is.