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Wales national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Mar 24, 2019 at 2pm UK
 
Slovakia national football team

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Ryan Giggs: Injured Ethan Ampadu "still growing"

Aaron Ramsey hopes to play in Wales' opening Euro 2020 qualifier after suffering a thigh injury.

Wales manager Ryan Giggs says Ethan Ampadu is a victim of growing pains after the Chelsea midfielder dealt a blow to his European Championship plans.

Ampadu has been ruled out of Wales' opening Euro 2020 qualifier at home to Slovakia on Sunday with a back problem after failing to link up with the squad for the friendly against Trinidad & Tobago.

Aaron Ramsey will also miss that Wrexham friendly on Wednesday with what Giggs has termed as "a slight knock to his thigh", but the Arsenal midfielder is expected to be fit for the Slovakia game.

Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu is expected to be out for a couple of weeks (Tim Goode/PA)

Ampadu, however, will miss both games and Giggs has drawn parallels with the 18-year-old's injury problems to those once suffered by former Liverpool and England midfielder Steven Gerrard.

"He reminds me of Steven because he's still growing," Giggs said. "Every time we meet up I think he's grown, or I've shrunk – one of the two!

"He's growing out, he's growing up, but he's at that stage when he's growing – in between playing and not playing.

"I think that's the main issue. Steven Gerrard had it, and a couple of players had it when they're still growing, they pick up these little knocks and strains."

Ethan Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu (pictured) has started only three games under Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge this season (Nick Potts/PA)

Giggs said Ampadu had "felt his back" before Chelsea's Europa League victory away to Dynamo Kiev last week.

The injury was scanned on his return from Ukraine and the teenager is expected to be out for a couple of weeks.

It is the latest blow in what has been a frustrating campaign for Ampadu, who has started only three games under Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge this season.

"That's always the case with players in that situation, or he has a great pre-season and forces his way into the first team," Giggs said when asked if a spell out on loan was a possible avenue to more regular football.

"We've had players in the same situation – Brooksy (David Brooks), Harry Wilson, Ben Woodburn – talented players who've gone out on loan and benefited from it.

"But if he can force himself into that Chelsea squad then that would be great."

Wales will also be without injured strikers Sam Vokes and Tom Lawrence against Slovakia.

But Brooks, Daniel James and James Lawrence should be fit despite training separately from the main squad at Manchester United's Carrington complex on Tuesday.

The really good news for Wales is that Gareth Bale, his country's record goalscorer, is fit after turning his ankle playing for Real Madrid recently.

Bale scored and played the full 90 minutes of Real's 2-0 LaLiga win against Celta Vigo on Saturday, and Giggs declared himself delighted with that outing for his 29-year-old talisman.

"Usually when Gareth scores he usually goes on a run, so that's good news," he said.

"It was great to see him get 90 minutes under his belt.

"Gareth is the main man. But I want to take the pressure off him somewhat.

"The emergence of Wilson, Brooks and others has given us lots of attacking options."

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Wales manager Ryan Giggs ahead of the UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on September 9, 2018
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Group A

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Q Spain Spain870121
Q Scotland flag Scotland852117
3 Norway Norway832311
4 Georgia Georgia82248
5 Cyprus Cyprus80080

Group B

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Q France France871022
Q Netherlands Netherlands860218
3 Greece Greece841313
4 Ireland Rep. Ireland82066
5 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar80080

Group C

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Q England flag England862020
Q Italy Italy842214
3 Ukraine Ukraine842214
4 Macedonia N. Macedonia82248
5 Malta flag Malta80080

Group D

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Q Turkey Turkey852117
Q Croatia Croatia851216
3 Wales flag Wales833212
4 Armenia Armenia82248
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Group E

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Q Albania national flag Albania843115
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic843115
3 Poland Poland832311
4 Republic of Moldova Moldova824210
5 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands80262

Group F

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Q Belgium Belgium862020
Q Austria Austria861119
3 Sweden Sweden831410
4 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan82157
5 Estonia Estonia80171

Group G

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Q Hungary Hungary853018
Q Serbia Serbia842214
3 Montenegro Montenegro832311
4 Lithuania Lithuania81346
5 Bulgaria Bulgaria80444

Group H

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Q Slovenia Slovenia1071222
3 Finland Finland1060418
4 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan1060418
5 Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland103079
6 San Marino flag San Marino1000100

Group I

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Q Romania Romania1064022
Q Switzerland Switzerland1045117
3 Israel Israel1043315
4 Belarus Belarus1033412
5 Kosovo flag Kosovo1025311
6 Andorra flag Andorra100282

Group J

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Q Portugal Portugal10100030
Q Slovakia Slovakia1071222
3 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg1052317
4 Iceland Iceland1031610
5 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina103079
6 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein1000100

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