‘Immense’ – Craig Bellamy makes bold Wales prediction about 19-year-old Cardiff City star
NEWPORT, WALES - 28 MARCH 2023: Dylan Lawlor of Wales, Freddie Issaka of Wales, Daniel Cox of Wales and Gabriele Biancheri of Wales during the UEFA U17 Championship Qualification fixture between Wales and Montenegro at Dragon Park, Newport, Wales. (Pic by Ashley Crowden/FAW)
Cardiff City’s Dylan Lawlor will be an ‘immense’ player for Wales, believes national team manager Craig Bellamy.
The 19-year-old has been drafted into the senior squad for the September round of fixtures, which includes a FIFA World Cup qualifier. Lawlor has recently signed a new three-year deal with the Bluebirds after holding down the centre-back role.
He has been part of a defence that has conceded just one league goal this season, and that came from a penalty, with no open play goals conceded. Lawlor has played six games so far this turn, mainly playing alongside Will Fish, displacing the vastly experienced Calum Chambers.
“When I see Dylan, you see the first few games that he’s getting moved,” began Bellamy.
“He’s brilliant with the ball, but the real defending of using your body, what he will get exposed to now will help him so much.
“We’ve seen him grow in the last couple of games. I believe he’s going to be an immense player for Wales over the next number of years. That’s why I feel the importance of bringing him in with us now.
“It’s going to help,” admitted Wales manager Craig Bellamy when asked about Cardiff City’s youthful revolution.
The Bluebirds have seen a flurry of youthful talent given the opportunity to develop and showcase their talent in the Welsh clubs’ League One campaign so far, with new manager Brian Barry-Murphy seeing his side sitting top of the division.
The trust in youth has been rewarded, with defenders Ronan Kpakio and Dylan Lawlor both receiving call-ups to the recent Wales senior squad ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier in Astana next Thursday.
“Cardiff have always had very good youngsters,” said Bellamy. “Now, having potential to break in to the first-team, you need everyone to be involved in that.
“Maybe in the Championship, the manager has been reluctant because of the turnover of managers in such a quick succession and haven’t felt comfortable with that.
“The new manager this season, there are similarities, there are similar sort of habits that we look for.”
Craig Bellamy on Ronan Kpakio
The defensive duo will be hoping that they can both register their first senior cap under Craig Bellamy, with the trip to Kazakhstan followed by a friendly against Canada in Swansea five days later.
He said: “With the likes of Ronan and Dylan, I think they were going to get in anyway, no matter what, I think that is their talent
“Ronan, we’ve spoken about him before. It’s like he’s played there for years. These are young players, playing men’s football, and there’s a difference.”
Kpakio and Lawlor are just two of the various Welsh youngsters who have featured for Cardiff this season, with Bellamy reinstating the importance of getting regular first-team football at a senior level to develop.
“There’s a difference from playing under-21s and under-18s, and it’s a different world. They’re getting exposed to it, Cian Ashford, Rubin and Joel, the more we get and that’s even from other clubs, it’s going to benefit us.
“We’re fast-tracking them into senior football, and we’re going to get the benefit of that, which hasn’t been the case. What I have seen and what I do like is the difference in intensity.
“Of course, League One is different to the Championship, I’m not misguided by that, when I look at the numbers, it’s a huge drop off.
“Some players will look a lot better than what they would do with a higher intensity in the Championship because it is higher, and the Premier League jumps up another level again.
“For me, for young players, it’s a good starting point and they’ll grow and just get better and better. It’s a huge help for us.”
There have been frustrations shared from members of the Bluebirds support over the omission of Rubin Colwill; however, Bellamy did state when questioned that he, alongside his younger brother Joel, was close to being selected to join the camp.
The fact that so many of the club’s players are catching the eye of the international boss will benefit not only the club but also Bellamy himself as he aims to guide Wales to a major tournament for the first time as boss.
