Gareth Bale has won 108 caps for Wales (Picture: Getty Images)
Wales boss Rob Page admits there remain doubts over the fitness of Gareth Bale and Joe Allen after naming them both in his squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Bale is fit to play, coming off the bench to score a late equaliser in the dramatic MLS Cup final win for Los Angeles FC over Philadelphia Union, however, he has not played a full 90 minutes since his move to the States.
Allen will not have played at all for over two months when Wales play their opening match against USA due to a hamstring problem, but is nearing a return to fitness.
On Bale being able to play all three group games in a short space of time, Page said: ‘That’s the million dollar question. We don’t know, we’ll assess each game as it comes.
‘We’re just fully focused on the first game. Hopefully get off to a positive, which is not losing the game.
‘We’ll have a plan moving forward for the second one. If he’s part of that great, if he’s not we’ll manage the minutes.’
Wales World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies.
Defenders: Ben Davies, Ben Cabango, Tom Lockyer, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Gunter, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts.
Midfielders: Sorba Thomas, Joe Allen, Matthew Smith, Dylan Levitt, Harry Wilson, Joe Morrell, Jonny Williams, Aaron Ramsey, Rubin Colwill.
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Forwards: Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Brennan Johnson, Dan James.
On Allen, the boss said: ‘We’re giving him every opportunity to be fit for that first game. He’s progressing as we want him to . If he’s fit, he’s playing. He’s massive for how I play and the success we’ve had.
‘He’s a senior lad, he’s got vast amounts of experience playing tournament football as well so he knows the game inside-out and that’s invaluable. That’s why I’m throwing everything at it.’
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‘We’re giving him every opportunity to be fit.’
