Ethan Ampadu has been described as a future Wales captain by national-team boss Rob Page.
Ampadu is set to win his 50th cap in Thursday’s Euro 2024 play-off semi-final against Finland at the tender age of 23.
Barring any future injury issues, the versatile Leeds player seems certain to break Gareth Bale’s record of 111 caps.
“He’s only 23 and it seems like he’s been around forever because of the age (17) when he got his debut,” Page said of Ampadu, who has started 42 of Leeds’ 43 games this term since making a £7million switch from Chelsea.
“He’s a future Wales captain 100 per cent because he’s already captained Leeds and that’s a big club.
“He’s a model pro on and off the pitch. He doesn’t get carried away with things, his attitude is first-class, and that’s why he has the Leeds armband.
“It is a big responsibility but they wouldn’t have given it to him if they didn’t think he could cope with it.”
Wales welcome Finland to Cardiff with the winners hosting Estonia or Poland five days later to decide a place at Euro 2024 this summer.
The Dragons have no fewer than four Leeds players in their ranks with Ampadu joined by Connor Roberts, Daniel James and Joe Rodon.
Ampadu has forged an outstanding centre-back partnership with Tottenham loanee Rodon as Championship high-fliers Leeds have stepped up their push for a return to the Premier League.
But Page has recently used Ampadu in a central midfield axis with Birmingham teenager Jordan James.
“Of course you’re going to think about it (playing Ampadu in defence), but when I’ve got a three that are playing well I don’t like making changes for the sake of it,” said Page, who has been an Elland Road regular this season.
“I do like Ethan as a centre-back because he keeps you high up the pitch. You can play a high line because he is not worried about pace in behind because of his athleticism and aggression.
“On the ball we’ve needed that physicality and him and JJ (James) have struck up such a strong partnership.
“It’s great to have that luxury that he can play more than one position and Joe can do the same.
“When Locks (Tom Lockyer) came in and played in the middle, Joe went to the right of the three and did really well.
“That’s given me food for thought as both of them can play a multitude of positions.
“He and Joe have struck up a good partnership keeping clean sheets, but Ethan’s just as good playing as a six in midfield as he is at the back.”
The Leeds quartet will be the last players to arrive at the Wales camp as Daniel Farke’s side meet Millwall on Sunday.
Page admits the 3pm kick-off at The Den has altered his pre-Finland planning, saying: “I tried to get a welcome meeting for Sunday night and show all the positives from the campaign.
“We will have to do that on Monday morning now because of the delay in some of the players coming in.
“We just hope everyone turns up on Sunday night because they are in such good form.”
Leverkusen star Wirtz named Bundesliga Player of the Year
Florian Wirtz played a starring role for Bayer Leverkusen this season and has been named the Bundesliga Player of the Year.
Wirtz scored 11 goals and provided a further 11 assists on the way to helping Leverkusen win their first-ever top-flight title.
The forward was pivotal in Leverkusen’s title charge as they became the first German team to complete an unbeaten season.
Only Victor Boniface has scored more goals than Wirtz this campaign, netting 14 times, while his tally of 11 assists is second only to Alejandro Grimaldo (13) across the Bundesliga.
Wirtz came off the bench to score a hat-trick in Leverkusen’s 5-0 win over Werder Bremen in April which clinched the title with five games remaining.
The Bundesliga champions still have the German Cup final on Saturday against Kaiserslautern, which follows the Europa League final against Atalanta on Wednesday.
Wirtz played a critical role in helping Leverkusen reach their third European final, having been involved in eight goals in the Europa League this season (four goals, four assists), the most of any player in the team.
He has also created 28 chances from open play in the competition, a tally only five players can better in a Europa League campaign, most recently Amin Younes for Ajax in 2016-17 (30).
In all competitions, Leverkusen’s unbeaten run stretches to 51 matches, as they aim to finish an unbeaten season with a treble.
Kane injury doubt for England Euro 2024 squad
Harry Kane may be a doubt for England’s Euro 2024 squad as he continues to struggle with a back problem.
Gareth Southgate is due to name his preliminary squad for Euro 2024 on Tuesday, ahead of upcoming friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland.
The England captain missed the final two Bundesliga games of the season after going off towards the end of Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel confirmed prior to their final match against Hoffenheim that Kane was back in England to undergo treatment.
When later asked again about the nature of the striker’s injury, Tuchel admitted that Kane had been struggling for a couple of weeks.
"In Madrid, it was borderline. We tried injections and treatments. The back has completely closed.
"It has gotten worse and kept breaking out in small, everyday movements. There's no chance he's even training."
Kane scored 36 league goals in his debut campaign for Bayern, though due to the injury, he finished five adrift of Robert Lewandowski’s single-season goal record of 41, set in 2019-20.
The final announcement of Southgate's 26-man squad will be revealed on June 7, ahead of the tournament opener against Serbia on June 16.
Pochettino prioritising continuity as Chelsea draw up transfer plans
Mauricio Pochettino feels continuity will be key for Chelsea ahead of his second season in charge, ruling out the prospect of another clear-out at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea clinched European qualification on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday, a 2-1 win over Bournemouth ensuring they beat Newcastle United and Manchester United to sixth place.
The Blues finished the campaign with five straight victories, the first time they have achieved that feat since doing so in March 2022 under Thomas Tuchel.
A positive end to Pochettino's debut campaign has quietened talk of his job being under threat, and he wants to see evolution rather than revolution ahead of 2024-25.
"Does the club need new signings? Always, you can improve," Pochettino said after Sunday's victory.
"They are going to be much better next season because they will have one year of experience, a tough experience.
"That is the advantage of being solid and consistent and not making too many changes.
"Next season, if we keep 80 to 85 per cent of the squad, for sure it is a big step forward because it is about having continuity in the ideas and the knowledge between them. That is important for the club.
"That is a club decision. Like it was from the beginning, we [the coaching staff] are going to be there to help and if not, we are going to do our job."
Chelsea only lost one of their final 15 matches of the Premier League season (nine wins, five draws), with that defeat coming by a 5-0 scoreline at Arsenal in April.
Only Manchester City, Arsenal (16 each) and Liverpool (12) won more Premier League games than Chelsea's 10 between the turn of the year and the end of the campaign, with their total of 43 goals in that time ranking them fifth among all teams in the division.
Chelsea's overall tally of 77 goals in 2023-24 was their third-most in a Premier League season, behind only their title-winning campaigns of 2009-10 (103) and 2016-17 (85).
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