Stigma of Wales caps dropping to age-grade teams is over - U21s boss Matty Jones
- Published
Rubin Colwill made his senior Wales debut aged 19 against France in June, 2021
Wales Under-21s boss Matty Jones believes the "stigma" of full caps representing their country's age-group sides is at an end.
Charlie Savage and Joe Low are in Jones' squad for key European Under-21 Championship qualifiers after senior debuts against Gibraltar in October.
Cardiff City's Rubin Colwill is also included after playing at European Championship and World Cup finals.
Jones is "very grateful" for senior team boss Robert Page's support.
Luke Harris and Owen Beck are also included in Jones' 23-man squad to face Iceland on Thursday, 16 November and Denmark four days later, with both games at Rodney Parade, Newport (kick-offs 18:00 GMT).
Both were on the bench for Wales' 4-0 friendly win over Gibraltar before flying out to help the Under-21s claim a last gasp 2-2 draw in the Czech Republic.
"I think there was a stigma previously to managing players' egos with regards to dropping down age groups," said Jones.
"So we now use the terminology of 'playing across age groups'.
"There will be times when you play in your own age groups and there will be times when you will be stretched, because that's the typical trend in football where everyone wants to be challenged extremely.
"They've come across to their own age group and been supported in the right way and given an opportunity to play minutes. It's the full package to me."
Jones believes Colwill, who has eight caps and a goal at senior level, is a perfect example of how this system can benefit Welsh international and club football.
Jones said: "When Rubin dropped into his own age group it really surprised me because there was no ego, he was more than happy and he was motivated that it was the right thing for him.
"At times you have to manage the momentum of the players, at times you have to protect them slightly.
"For Rubin it has been fantastic, he has been excellent, a pure role model with his leadership skills, even though he is not outspoken.
"He is self-driven and he is a great character around the players. He sets the example with his behaviour, the way he performs and around the hotel as well.
"He has come away with us has and it has allowed him to flourish. He has gone home with an abundance of confidence and taken that performance into training which he has showcased to the manager. He is chomping at the bit and ready to go.
"You can see the trust element is changing at Cardiff now because he's not just playing 10 minutes at the end. They are playing him for 30-35 minutes. Hopefully that will build because we want that reward for Rubin, but hopefully it will benefit us all."
Wales U21s: Ed Beach, Evan Watts, Ronnie Hollingshead, Matt Baker, Joe Low, Owen Bevan, Jay Williams, Zac Ashworth, Owen Beck, Fin Stevens, Eli King, Joel Cotterill, Charlie Crew, Charlie Savage, Oli Hammond, Cameron Congreve, Rubin Colwill, Luke Harris, Tom Hill, Josh Thomas, Joe Taylor, Chris Popov, Cian Ashford.
MY MUM, THE FOOTBALL HERO: Rita Earnshaw's extraordinary life
THE HIT SERIES RETURNS: Have fun on four wheels with Bravo Two Charlies
