Colwill backed for future Wales call-ups after omission

Cardiff midfielder Rubin Colwill has won nine caps for Wales

Rubin Colwill will get future call-ups for Wales despite missing out on Craig Bellamy's latest squad, according to Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has not been selected by Wales head coach Bellamy for the World Cup qualifier away to Kazakhstan on 4 September, despite showing impressive early-season form for the Bluebirds.

Colwill has scored three goals in all competitions during August and has helped City go top of League One.

"If he continues to do that on a weekly basis then I'm sure he'll get his opportunity [with Wales]," Barry-Murphy said.

"We've been so grateful to have Rubin with us. The impact on the team throughout the course of pre-season has been immense. He'll be fine. He's making big strides and we feel he can make a lot more strides based on what we've seen and what he can do."

Explaining Colwill's omission, Bellamy said: "I have to be honest, he was very close.

"His brother [Joel, in the Wales Under-21s squad] as well. I've been impressed by the both of them.

"I want to see more. I want that consistency.

"It's a question we speak about, and we know we're going to get asked. He's a person I really like. I've enjoyed seeing what I'm seeing at the moment. But I want to see more."

When asked if he was surprised by Colwill's omission, Barry-Murphy added: "I think it would be wrong of me to say. I don't know the make-up of the squad, I don't know who Rubin is competing against for places in that squad."

Despite Colwill missing out on the Wales squad to face Kazakhstan and then Canada in a friendly five days later, Barry-Murphy says he has had "positive" contact with Bellamy.

"Craig and me have had some really good conversations on the players that he knew better than I did when I first came in," Barry-Murphy said.

"He may still know them better than I do based on his experience of those players and he was really positive about all the players in our squad.

"I guess it's beneficial for him to see many of his players getting so much game time in the league and cup, so hopefully that's going to be a really beneficial relationship for us to maintain and progress moving forward.

"We believe he [Colwill] can do a bit more and we have hopes of the hugest things for Rubin, and he's shown a mentality that it's possible for him to do anything he wants in the game.

"His potential is enormous and we have some clear and important things that we believe will improve his game in the short time."

Colwill's Cardiff team-mates Ronan Kpakio, 18, and 19-year-old Dylan Lawlor have both been rewarded for their recent form with places in Bellamy's squad.

Caerphilly-born Lawlor has recently signed a new three-year contract at the Cardiff City Stadium.

"I imagine it's going to be a huge honour for those players to be called up and it's a testament to the performances that they've put in," said Barry-Murphy.

"They're probably in different places. Ronan had a rest on Tuesday night [against Cheltenham Town], Dylan didn't but they're both benefitting from having so much exposure to so much game time earlier in the season, and you're obviously seeing the improvement they're making game to game. It's a great reward for them and their families.

"It's really pleasing that he [Lawlor] feels we can help him progress to where he wants to go in his career.

"A big thing we want to do is bring through the young players from this academy and into the first team when they are good enough and deserve it - and he definitely does."