Portsmouth and Wales midfielder Joe Morrell says he has been impressed by Nottingham Forest ace Brennan Johnson and the "PlayStation generation" who have adapted well to the demands of international football.
Wales played a fundraiser friendly match to help Ukraine, facing Czech Republic in Cardiff on Tuesday evening. Robert Page opted to hand several youngsters an opportunity after booking a World Cup play-off final spot with a 2-1 win over Austria last week.
Nottingham Forest's academy graduate Brennan Johnson was named in the starting team amongst the likes of Rabbi Matondo (21) and Rubin Colwill (19). And the positive team performance helped the Welsh side extended their unbeaten home run to 18 games - a record that stretches back to November 2018.
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"This generation of players are just so laid back, then they come on the pitch and turn it on," said Morrell after the game. "[The] lads are probably playing PlayStation for 10 hours, messing about playing pool, snooker, darts or whatever and play like that.
"They are so relaxed and laid back and manage to switch it on when they’re on the pitch. It’s great to watch and be a part of."
Johnson, who played 80 minutes before being replaced by Mark Harris, has impressed in the Championship this campaign. In his 36 league appearances, he has contributed 11 goals and six assists.
After claiming man of the match award for Wales, the 20-year-old showed he can also thrive on international stage. "I’m sure Brennan will be playing at a higher level next season," Morrell added.
"To share a pitch with him was fantastic, just a small glimpse of what he can offer in the future. I think we forget how young these players are, thankfully they don’t have the pressure they would have if we didn’t have fantastic players in that position.
"Rubin’s not rushed in because we’ve got fantastic players at the top end of the pitch, world-class players. He can take his time and be eased in, which he has been.
"You forget how young and inexperienced these players are, but they don’t show it when they pull on the red shirt. We’ve got some fantastic senior players – world-class players – but one day they’re not going to be there.
"We have to make sure we’ve got plenty coming through and that looks to be the case."
