Gareth Bale has denied that Wales’s upcoming match against England will be his last at international level.
The Wales captain, who has played 110 times for his country, is leading his country at a first World Cup in 64 years, but it’s likely to be a brief stint after the Dragons picked up just one point from their opening two games.
Wales must beat the Three Lions, possibly by four goals, and hope the USA vs Iran result goes their way. Asked if tomorrow’s Group B showdown will be his swansong for the Dragons, Bale simply answered: “No.”
Manager Rob Page hinted at changes before the trip to Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, though captain Bale is expected to keep his spot for the toughest group game of the lot.
“We’ve got a squad of players that we can pick from,” Page said. “I will pick a team that I think will go out and get us a win.
“Yes, there’s an opportunity to give others experience. Without giving my team away, we will no doubt be needing to use more than the usual starting XI.
“It’s a big ask for anyone in this environment to play again after four games. I will pick a team to win tomorrow whether that is with or without [Bale and Aaron Ramsey].”
Wales find themselves, heading into their third game, bottom of a group they would have been confident to qualify from, and Page has admitted that he expected more from his side in Qatar.
He said: “We’ve worked so hard to get into this situation. My disappointment and frustration for the players is that we’ve worked so hard to get to this situation and then shown nowhere near the levels that have got us to this World Cup. That’s what really disappoints me.
“We’ve picked them up, addressed it and we’ve got to draw a line under the last performance. We’ve got to go and give our supporters, irrespective of any other result or whether we go home or through, we have to give a performance our supporters are proud of.
“At the minute, we are all disappointed with the performances but we want to react positively and I will pick a positive team ready to give everything for the cause.”
