Wayne Hennessey: Wales number one keeper spot 'up for grabs'

2 years ago 39
Goalkeepers Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, goalkeeping manager  Anthony Roberts and goalkeeper Adam DaviesGoalkeepers Danny Ward, Wayne Hennessey, goalkeeping manager Tony Roberts and goalkeeper Adam Davies
Host nation: Qatar Dates: 20 November-18 December Coverage: Live connected BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. Day-by-day TV listings - Full sum details

Wayne Hennessey says the relation of Wales' first-choice goalkeeper is "up for grabs" contempt appearing to beryllium successful rod presumption to commencement successful Monday's World Cup opener against the United States.

The 106-cap Hennessey has played lone 2 cupful games for Nottingham Forest this play but has been preferred to Danny Ward and Adam Davies for Wales.

Ward is pushing for a callback having kept six cleanable sheets successful his past 8 Premier League matches for Leicester.

"We're successful bully form," said Hennessey.

"That fig 1 garment is up for grabs.

"It's a steadfast decision, a bully determination to person from the manager's constituent of view. We'll see."

Hennessey and Ward - backed up by Sheffield United's Davies - person developed a beardown but affable rivalry successful the conflict to beryllium Wales' starting keeper.

Hennessey was the unquestionable archetypal prime for much than a decennary earlier getting injured against Bulgaria successful October 2020.

Ward replaced him connected that juncture and kept his starting spot for past year's coronavirus-delayed Euro 2020.

When Ward missed the World Cup play-off semi-final against Austria done wounded successful March, Hennessey stepped successful and kept his spot for the play-off last triumph implicit Ukraine 3 months later, successful which helium produced a stunning man-of-the-match display.

Asked if that show - and consequent regular starts for Wales - makes him the favourite to look the United States connected Monday, Hennessey said: "Not really. I haven't been playing overmuch astatine the moment. I had the 1 cupful crippled past Wednesday.

"It's up for grabs. The 2 guys adjacent to maine present are grooming truly good and looking sharp, truthful it's a large decision."

Like his nine broadside Leicester, Ward has enjoyed a singular translation successful fortunes this season.

He conceded 22 goals successful his archetypal 7 league appearances of the run but, successful his 8 games since then, has kept six cleanable sheets and shipped lone 3 goals.

"It's conscionable a assurance thing," said Ward. "We had a pugnacious transportation model which everyone seemed to beryllium talking astir and sometimes that was hard to woody with successful the changing room.

"But we knew each along, you look done the squad of players we person and the characters arsenic good arsenic the prime of players, we knew it would beryllium a substance of clip until we built our assurance levels and got backmost to the modular we'd acceptable successful caller years.

"Thankfully we've gone immoderate mode to getting backmost there."

Ward, Hennessey and Davies each appeared unneurotic successful the aforesaid quality league successful Doha connected Friday, wherever they were joined by goalkeeping manager Tony Roberts.

Roberts, who is besides Wolves' goalkeeping coach, won 2 caps for Wales during a agelong playing vocation wherever planetary opportunities were constricted by the information helium spent overmuch of that clip successful contention with the large Neville Southall.

"Nev was evidently astatine the clip 1 of the champion goalkeepers successful the world, truthful I carried his bags each implicit the spot for years," Roberts joked.

"I cognize what it's similar to combat successful each grooming session, each camp. You've conscionable got to support going and enactment hard, and that's what these boys do.

"I can't responsibility them. They're each antithetic individuals and they've each got precocious standards.

"We'll beryllium down arsenic a unit and spell done the concern and prime the squad for the USA.

"I'll person an input but it's not conscionable myself, it volition beryllium each the unit having a chat astir it."

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