Wales played their first U18s game for over 20 years last week against England U18 at Leckwith Stadium.
Although they lost 2-0, Wales put in a fantastic performance against the much more experience England.
The strong showing from Rob Edwards‘ side offered a glimpse into the talents that could one day represent the Wales senior team.
Here are five players that impressed the most:
Chris Popov
The Manchester United forward impressed for Wales, his presence up front provided a constant outlet for the Welsh midfielder to play the ball forward.
He was also a threat with the ball at his feet, he won a penalty on 17 minutes by running at the England defence before he he was bundled over by a defender.
Popov is playing above his age grade. He is only 16, meaning he was the youngest player on the field which makes his performance all the more impressive.
Keelan Williams
17-year-old Keelan Williams wore the captain’s armband for Wales and was solid both in attack and defence.
He was able to limit the impact of Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry who played on the left wing during the first half.
Williams was also a threat on the attack, mimicking the forward drives you would see from his older Neco Williams.
The Burnley defender was unlucky not to score right before the break when his vicious time strike hit the woodwork on 44 minutes.
Oli Ewing
The Leicester youngster dictated the play for Wales alongside his midfield partner Charlie Savage.
Ewing didn’t only tick the ball over, his threaded through passes caused problems for the England defence.
He played Ryan Viggars in on goal with a brilliant through ball but his shot was saved and
Taylor Jones
In a strong Wales backline that were impressive throughout, Taylor Jones was the stand out defensively.
The Cardiff youngster made some fantastic last ditch tackles to prevent England from scoring Last ditch tackles to lrevent goals
On 76 minutes Jones made a sliding interception to prevent Kwadwo Baah squaring the ball for an easy England goal.
He also showed great composure on the ball under pressure when he sent an England player for a hot dog with a quick change of direction.
Charlie Savage
Much like Ewing Charlie Savage looked comfortable in possession.
Charlie, who is the son of former Wales international Robbie Savage, didn’t look fazed when the English players pressed him.
He dropped slightly deeper at time to receive the ball from the Welsh centre backs before pinning balls out wide or building through the middle.
His composure on the ball gave Wales a platform to build attacks and find dangerous attackers like Popov and Viggars.
(Featured Image: Will Cheshire)
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