Wales’ frontman Sam Vokes had been side lined for three days short of nine months with a serious knee injury. He has now returned to the Burnley squad, three months before Wales’ next important qualifier out in Israel, but how vital is this return for Chris Coleman’s Welsh team?

Return To The Development Team

Sam Vokes made a scoring return back on the 25 November in a 2-0 win for Burnley’s development squad. He found the net against Carlisle after being named in the starting XI. He featured for 45 minutes and it was the first time he had played in a competitive match since picking up his injury back in March.

Since then he has played in a further four fixtures for the development side and finally returned for the first team coming off the substitutes bench against Liverpool on Boxing Day.

Many strikers struggle after a lengthy spell out through injury but it doesn’t seem that way for Vokes. In the five appearances he made for the Burnley’s under 21s he scored five goals. Granted, the opposition are a lot weaker than he will face on the international stage for Wales but as the old cliché says you can only beat what’s in front of you. In his recovery period with the young Clarets that is certainly what he has done.

Will He Feature?

It may not be plain sailing returning to the starting XI for the Wales’ six foot one striker. In his absence Danny Ings has carried on his prolific form from Burnley’s Championship promotion season and Ashley Barnes has found his feet in the top flight in recent games, scoring three in his last seven, including an impressive equaliser at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City.

The Lancashire club have an away trip to Newcastle on New Year’s day and it could see Vokes feature but, the following Monday could be the day the Welshman makes a return to the starting XI. On 5 January the FA Cup third round returns and what better way to see how Sam Vokes fares back in first team football? The Clarets do not have the luxury of facing lower league opposition but instead have the arduous task of lining up against Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor, but with Premier League survival being Sean Dyche’s priority he has nothing to lose by starting the former Wolves player.

Burnley Record

There must be a temptation for the Burnley manager to introduce Vokes back into the starting team as soon as possible. If you look at Vokes’ stats from the 2013/14 season you can see why. Despite his season coming to a premature end in March, Sam Vokes had already managed 22 goals in the claret and blue of Burnley that season. Alongside him in the forward line Danny Ings had scored 26. The 47-goal partnership saw each forward provide three assists for their strike partner and the front two were the key to Championship promotion and could soon prove to be key to Premier League survival.

Wales Record

His contribution for Burnley is clear, but what does his return mean for Wales?

Six goals in 31 games is far from a scintillating record but his last outing for the national team saw him score the second goal in a 3-1 win over Iceland.

When Vokes has scored, Wales have won four out of five games, the only defeat coming in a 2-1 defeat out in Montenegro back in 2009. His other goals include the winner in a 1-0 win against Azerbaijan in 2008, a brace in a 4-1 win over Norway, a game where he came on as an 85th minute substitution, the second in a 2-1 win over Austria in Swansea and finally the goal in his last outing against Iceland.

In his early Wales career, the Burnley frontman was not playing regular first team football and was loaned out to a total of six clubs in four years while at Wolverhampton Wanderers. If he does regain first team football under Sean Dyche, who knows what he could achieve in the red shirt of Wales?

Coleman’s Other Options

Even if Vokes does not gain a regular starting spot in Sean Dyche’s side, has Chris Coleman really got any other options in his Wales squad?

In recent games Coleman has had to toy with many different combinations in attacking areas, with many players being switched from playing wide in midfield and playing up top as a striker. Injury to Simon Church, who seemed to be Coleman’s preferred option up front, made the problem even more apparent.

Other than Gareth Bale, Hal Robson Kanu has arguably been Wales’ greatest attacking threat, scoring in Wales 2-1 win over Cyprus.

Wales have no striker currently playing in the Premier League other than Sam Vokes. There are options in the Championship with Tom Lawrence playing on loan at Rotherham United from Premier League Leicester City, Hal Robson Kanu playing at Reading, Craig Davies at Bolton Wanderers and Steve Morison at Leeds United. Simon Church has not featured for Charlton since the injury he picked up playing for Wales against Cyprus in October.

The Welsh striker with the best record at the moment is youngster Tom Bradshaw who is currently playing for League One outfit Walsall. Bradshaw has already reached double figures for the season including two goals against high flying MK Dons. He has now taking his tally to 14 goals for the Saddlers and could be playing his way into contention for a senior call up. But is a striker in England’s third tier a viable option?

Goals have come few and far between for Wales’ other options. Tom Lawrence has impressed since joining the Millers on loan but has only managed one goal so far. Robson Kanu scored his first goal of the season on Sunday, despite making 13 appearances; Craig Davies has four league goals while Steve Morison is yet to score.

As you can see, Wales have few attacking options at their disposal. With an exciting midfield that contains the likes of Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey, Sam Vokes could be the missing piece in the jigsaw that could ensure Wales’ qualification for EURO 2016. The 3-1 win over Iceland back in March gave an insight to what could lie ahead for Wales. Just over a year on from that game in Cardiff, Wales will face Israel in Ramat Gan, a game where Sam Vokes could play a crucial role.

Do you believe the return of Sam Vokes is crucial to Wales qualifying for EURO 2016?