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Wales manager Ryan Giggs was full of praise for Chelsea youngster Ethan Ampadu after an impressive performance in the centre of the Welsh midfield on Friday night.

The Euro 2016 semi-finalists kept their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2020 alive with a 2-1 defeat of Azerbaijan in Cardiff thanks to a late winner from Gareth Bale.

It was far from a convincing performance from Wales but Ampadu stood out in many viewers’ eyes as one of the best players on the pitch as he looked composed and mature in the middle of the action.

One such viewer was Wales boss Giggs as the Manchester United legend heaped praise on the teenager after the final whistle, singling out Ampadu as a potential future captain for his country.

"He’s hardly played in seven or eight months and puts in a mature performance like that,” Giggs said in his post-match press conference, as reported by Y Clwb Pêl-Droed .

“It’s best how to manage Ethan. It’s very tough for him to get through ninety minutes. It’s the fittest he’s been for a long time.

"He’s a future leader and it’s great to see him get minutes on the pitch. It’s my hope that he’ll get more games and he’ll get better."

Wales now prepare to face Belarus in a friendly on Monday night before a crucial slate of Euro 2020 qualifiers next month which will see them travel to Slovakia before hosting group leaders Croatia three days later.