Craig Bellamy insists selecting Joe Allen for Wales a 'no-brainer' as Leeds United star blows him away

Craig Bellamy says selecting the previously retired Joe Allen for Wales was a "no-brainer".

Allen, who retired from international duty after the 2022 World Cup, has been included in Bellamy's 25-man squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Iceland and Montenegro.

And Bellamy believes that Swansea City's Allen can help establish a new identity for this Wales team and is now raring to go ahead of next week's international break, during which he will want to add to his 74-cap tally.

READ MORE: Joe Allen comes out of international retirement as Craig Bellamy's Wales squad announced

Bellamy said: "I first spoke to him when I first came into the role as manager. He’s a player I was fortunate to play with and I have admired. He’s an exceptional footballer and he’s still got a lot to give. I believe the way we play really suits him

"He’s fit, available and willing to be a part of the Wales set-up, so it’s a no-brainer. I would probably have put him in my first squad but he wasn’t fit at the time. He’s got a great brain, he’s experienced and he’s a high quality footballer.

"Some people may look at his age but that’s never been a problem to me. I just appreciate the skills he has and what he can do for us. He has had one of two injuries of late, but I’ve watched him in training at Swansea.

"As a person he’s the type of profile I want in the squad, just for his leadership skills. Joe has been one of our greatest players and he still has football in him.

"It’s very difficult for me to say whether he can play in both games (he hasn’t started for Swansea yet). I will look at the data from training and speak to Swansea. It’s important at the end of these two games we send him back to Swansea in a really healthy position to contribute to his club.

"When you step into this role you look at every player who is able to play for Wales. I wasn’t aware of Joe’s conversations before but I knew he had stepped down. I was very quick to ask him how he was feeling and where he saw himself and he told me he wanted to put his efforts into Swansea.

"I told him where I saw him playing for us and he was just very positive right from the start even though he was carrying an injury at the time. I monitored his injury in conversations with him and Luke Williams (Swansea manager). He kept me updated on Joe’s recovery.

"He said let him know how the first two games went and then when I spoke to him again he said ‘let’s go, I’m ready’."

Some might think it's a horses-for-courses type of selection, with Ethan Ampadu and captain Aaron Ramsey out injured. However, Bellamy did not close the door on Allen, 34, being involved in the eventuality that they qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

"I obviously have an eye on the future but I’m also very conscious of the present," he added. "I want to us to create an identity and due to his experience, the profile of the teams he has played in and the managers he has played for will help us to create that identity quicker. That’s very much in the here and now.

"In the long term, players look after themselves better now and can play longer. Hopefully he will be able to stay injury free. The way I see him playing in the way we set-up, I see a perfect role for him. He’s a clever player and his football IQ is ridiculously high. That alone will be a lot for us."

Losing Ramsey and Ampadu is a double blow for Bellamy, though. Ramsey came into the season encouraged after a strong off-season following a season in which he missed the vast majority of games for his club Cardiff City.

Suffering an injury during the last international break has set him back another couple of months, but Bellamy wants to ensure Ramsey is involved as much as he can be,

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Bellamy said: "I spoke to Aaron quite a lot, I try to involve him quite a lot, tactically. He comes down to Dragon Park to see me, so we go through certain stuff. I have a very good relationship with Aaron, I've known him since he was five. I knew he was going to be a professional footballer then.

"It allows us to have a good communication level. I'm really disappointed for him that he picked up an injury. Against Turkey he was exceptional, he did everything we asked him to do. All the chances we created came from Aaron.

"It's disappointing he can't be with us. But he isn't going to miss out too much, we'll keep him updated. I think he'll be with the camp as well, which is helpful."

Ampadu, meanwhile, has been sensational for Wales over a number of years now and is arguably the biggest blow of the let. Indeed, Bellamy only realised just how good he was when he saw him up close during his first Wales camp.

"Ethan, it's tough, because you know when you see good players, but when you see them up close, you see how good they are. Ethan I was blown away with," the Wales boss said.

"What I like with him as a person is he is a leader. I spoke to him on Saturday, Sunday, then Monday, but you speak to a young man who is so strong, he is fine. He said it was no problem, a bit of a setback and he knows how much harder he's got to work to hit the ground running.

"But we won't be reliant on one player. It allows us to be a bit flexible, too. We adapt. That's what it's all about. We ask the players to be flexible and we have to be the same as well. He is an impressive human being. He will come back."

Wales take on Iceland on Friday, October 11 before welcoming Montenegro to Cardiff City Stadium on Monday, October 14.

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