Ethan Ampadu certainty shared from Wales training camp that all Leeds fans will get behind
Ethan Ampadu is set to be named as Wales captain for their crucial World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and North Macedonia.
Ampadu is one of a number of Leeds player on international duty this month, with Wales’ World Cup 2018 qualifying hopes in the balance.
The Dragons need to win their games on Saturday and Tuesday if they are to stand a chance of qualifying without the need of a playoff.
With regular captain Ben Davies out injured, Dan James tipped Ampadu to captain Wales for the key games.
And that now looks as though it will be the case amid an update shared from Wales’ Hensol HQ on Friday.
Ethan Ampadu to captain Wales in crucial World Cup qualifiers
Ampadu is a huge fan favourite at Leeds and that is also the case in Wales, with the versatile midfielder having already accrued 57 caps for his country.
While Ampadu may have struggled against Belgium in Wales’ most recent fixture, he is still one of the first name – if not the first name – on the teamsheet.
And giving an update on the captaincy situation live on Sky Sports News, Geraint Hughes all but confirmed Ampadu will wear the armband for his country over the next week.
“How do you replace Ben Davies as captain? There’s one very easy solution to that – the ever impressive Leeds captain Ethan Ampadu,” Hughes said.
“We fully expect him to be confirmed as captain… in fact, I’ll say it – Ethan Ampadu will be captain tomorrow night.”
Captaining your country is often described as the ultimate accolade for any professional, and every last Leeds supporter will be fully behind Ampadu.
Ampadu set to climb into Wales’ top 30 most-capped players list
Despite being aged just 25, Ampadu is already ranked 33rd on the list of Wales’ most-capped players of all time, one ahead of Leeds teammate Joe Rodon.
That is because he made his debut aged 17 in 2017 and has been a regular pretty much ever since for Wales, including at a World Cup and European Championship finals.
Should he play both fixtures over the next week, as expected, Ampadu will move up to 59 caps and draw level with four others in joint-25th in that list.
It is worth mentioning that fellow Leeds player James is already on 59 caps and will almost certainly add to his own tally.
Leeds have a strong contingent of players in the Wales squad, meaning plenty of eyes will be on that clash with Lichtenstein on Saturday, with the main hope being no fresh injuries are sustained.
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