Get the latest Welsh rugby news sent straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Chris Coleman has included Chelsea starlet Ethan Ampadu in Wales’ squad for their crunch World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Moldova.

The 16-year-old has been called up to his first Wales squad, having been included in a number of training camps.

Ampadu clearly has a bright future ahead of him, but does he have a chance of featuring in Wales’ upcoming fixtures?

Coleman faces a midfield nightmare against Austria, where Wales simply must win to keep hopes of qualification alive.

Meagre midfield

Joe Allen, a crucial ever-present, is suspended; Joe Ledley, Allen’s perennial midfield partner is currently without a club and faces doubts over his fitness; Dave Edwards, invariably a sturdy back-up, has only just come back from injury, and Leicester City’s Andy King has not prominently featured for the Foxes this term, with concerns over the pair’s match sharpness arising.

It leaves Coleman with an unwanted selection headache. Ahead of a match with such importance, the Wales boss will have to think long and hard about who he brings into the midfield.

An unlikely figure presents himself as an option, however, with Chelsea’s Ampadu, a defender or defensive midfielder, emerging as an option.

Who is he and how good is he?

The 16-year-old made his debut for League Two outfit Exeter City last season, winning man of the match as his composure and intelligence on the ball earmarked him as a promising talent.

After his first professional start, Grecians’ boss Paul Tisdale had this to say: "The biggest compliment I can pay him is that he plays like a 35-year-old.

"It was a real delight to see him play and you keep forgetting he's only 16."

The youngster played in defensive midfield for the Grecians that day, and calm distribution married with a keen spatial awareness enabled him to dictate Exeter’s tempo. A number of appearances followed and Premier League clubs, inevitably, came calling.

a suitably impressed Chelsea snapped him up over the summer, and the starlet was recently seen training with Antonio Conte’s first team.

Conte’s decision to promote Ampadu to first team training clearly suggests that the Welshman can hold his own against the very best.

Welsh captain Ashely Williams evidently shares this opinion.

“I wasn’t going to retire until I saw Ethan Ampadu in Portugal. He’s something else," said the Everton centre-back.

“I was watching him and I thought, ‘This kid is unbelievable’.

“He’s so young but if he carries on the sky is the limit for him. Even I’m thinking, ‘Ok, if he progresses how he should then he will be a natural replacement for me'."

But could he really feature for Wales?

When pressed, Coleman said: “In terms of his ability, he’s capable of being with us, he’s an excellent young player with a fantastic attitude.

"We may need to call upon him and I’ve got no doubt if we need to do so he’ll be fine."

The Wales manager clearly sees Ampadu as a viable option, yet international football is a harshly exposed stage for one so young.

It would not be unreasonable to suggest that Ampadu, who’s only senior action has been in League Two, would struggle - his inexperience a weak point that could be exploited by an Austrian side that boasts the talents of Bayern Munich’s David Alaba and West Ham’s Marko Arnautovic.

However, those would have watched the precocious talent in action will attest to his maturity and ability to avert danger. After all, there is a reason why Tisdale, his former coach, said that he plays "like a 35-year-old".

Where would he play?

Ampadu could provide a defensive foil for Aaron Ramsey in Wales' depleted midfield, particularly if the likes of Edwards, King and Ledley are struggling.

He could be used from the bench if the likes of Ledley are chosen to start but begin to tire because of their lack of match action.

Fielding someone so young is not unprecedented. Indeed, Ampadu would not even be Wales’ youngest ever debutant – Liverpool’s Harry Wilson claiming that honour, with Gareth Bale previously holding that record.

Ampadu has the talent and maturity that is necessary to nurture such ability. If Coleman has no other option but to field Ampadu, Welsh fans need not panic.