Wales boss Bellamy brings out 'real me' - Thomas

Sorba Thomas has won 18 Wales caps

World Cup qualifier: Kazakhstan v Wales

Venue: Astana Arena, Astana Date: Thursday, 4 September Kick off: 15:00 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC One, S4C, iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru, the BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentary.

Winger Sorba Thomas has cited the influence of Wales boss Craig Bellamy as a major reason for his recent good form.

The 26-year-old Stoke City player scored during an impressive showing away to Belgium in World Cup qualifying in June and has been praised by Bellamy for his attitude in training.

Thomas has also made an immediate impact at Stoke since joining from Huddersfield by scoring one and assisting another during his debut for the Potters against Derby.

"He (Bellamy) said to me, 'I couldn't care less what other people think of you. I'm going to judge off what I see and what he's seen is the real me'," said Thomas.

"When people heard stuff about me in the past, in my honest opinion, people didn't really go out of their way to get to know who I am as a person. They just wanted to judge me as a player, but not to get to know me as a person and know why I do certain things.

"Bellamy has brought a different side out of me. I feel like I'm even more hungry to do well and to stake my claim in the team and for me, it's just about improving every single day of training.

"I'd like to feel we're quite close, I don't know what he would say. But I'd like to feel I'm quite a similar player to when he was playing. I also have tried to score more goals than he did, but I've got many more to go".

Wales sit second in Group J in qualifying for the World Cup finals in North America next summer.

They are one point below North Macedonia and have three more than third-placed Belgium, who have played two games fewer.

But Thomas still believes Wales can qualify automatically as group winners with four games remaining, starting away to Kazakhstan on Thursday, 4 September.

"It's exciting to have an attacking-minded coach who sees you for who you are and doesn't judge you, kind of like a fresh start. It's an exciting time for us.

"We all watched him and saw what he was like on the pitch, good and bad. But he brought that fight and that grittiness into the team and we showed it at Belgium.

"We showed the resilience to not just come back from 3-0 down, but to still go for the winner and not sit back and take the draw.

"It feels amazing because you can tell that someone's kind of watched you over a number of years and sees where the strengths are and he knows my strengths are my one-v-one attacking and you've seen it in multiple games, but for me I always like to be positive, I always like to look forward.

"To play in a position which I believe is my favourite and my best position, and the gaffer believing in me here, giving me the opportunity to go and express myself and to show what I can do, it's a massive bonus for me."