Chris Coleman 'delighted for Tom Lawrence' after striker's first start

Wales manager Chris Coleman has talked up the positives following the country's friendly loss to the Netherlands by praising the performance of rising striker Tom Lawrence.

The Leicester City frontman was handed his first start for Wales and the 21-year-old was singled out as a highlight by his manager after the contest, despite missing two first-half chances in the 3-2 defeat.

"We used our full number of six subs and were still competitive," said Coleman, according to the Irish Times.

"We scored two goals without Bale and Ramsey, which is a big thing when you look at who was getting the goals for us in the qualification campaign.

"We also did not have Hal so we were without our front three from the campaign, but I was delighted for Tom Lawrence. He is a very good player, he has improved and has done very well for us and George Williams is also back after nearly a year out."

Wales qualified for Euro 2016 after finishing in second place in Group B, two points behind winners Belgium.