Leeds' Harry Wilson a doubt for Wales after quadriceps injury, Farke says
Harry Wilson is a major doubt for the start of Wales' Nations League campaign after suffering a quadriceps muscle injury, Leeds United manager Daniel Farke confirmed on Friday; the 29-year-old will miss Sunday's Premier League home game against Crystal Palace and is likely to miss Wales' September and October fixtures as they return to League A.
Wilson had been included in Craig Bellamy's Wales squad for matches against Portugal, Denmark and Norway in September and October, and the forward has 69 caps and 17 goals for his country. Farke confirmed the problem and said: "Harry Wilson is out of this game, a quad injury, he reported some problems after the last game and also during this training week," adding, "He will also probably miss the Welsh games, so definitely not good news for him and also not for the Welsh team."
Bellamy faces further selection challenges with a number of players already unavailable: key defender Joe Rodon, Wilson's team-mate at Elland Road, Cardiff City defenders Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio, Cardiff forwards Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill, and Wrexham attacker Nathan Broadhead.
The loss of Wilson represents a significant setback for Wales' manager Craig Bellamy given the player's form for his country over the past 12 months. While Wales may conduct their own assessment of Wilson's fitness, the club's confirmation reduces immediate options for Bellamy.
Wales begin the run of fixtures by travelling to face Portugal on 24 September, the first of four matches in the newly extended international break. The schedule includes a home tie with Norway positioned between two matches against Denmark.
Wales are 38th in the world rankings, their lowest position since August 2014, and will travel to Copenhagen to face a Denmark side ranked 21st in the world; Norway, who were World Cup quarter-finalists, visit Cardiff on 1 October before Wales host Denmark on 4 October.
Wales' next confirmed fixture is the trip to Portugal on 24 September.
