Rob Page has explained why he has called up Sunderland’s Niall Huggins to the Wales senior squad.
Speaking in his press conference (as per Wales Online), the national team manager heaped praise on Huggins following his first international call-up.
Niall Huggins had only four U21 caps to his name and had failed to make an appearance for Wales’ youth side since joining Sunderland, having spent most of his first two years at the club in the treatment room.
The defender had only managed eight appearances for the Black Cats since arriving on Wearside in 2021, however things have looked much better for him this season.
Huggins took Dennis Cirkin’s place in the starting line-up following his own injury and he has so far looked extremely impressive, catching the eye with his brilliant first goal against Watford last month.
The 22-year-old consistent displays in the Championship attracted the attention of Rob Page, who has now handed him his first call-up to Wales’ senior squad.
Speaking on Huggins, Page said: “He’s athletic. He’s playing with a young team. I like how they play. Full of energy. He can play both sides for us. How we play I think he suits us. He fits in with how we want to play really well.”
Huggins could now be in line to make his international debut as Wales take on Armenia and Turkey in their EURO 2024 Qualifiers this month.
Can Niall Huggins make an impact for Wales?
I don’t claim to regularly watch Wales, and I’m probably biased, but I see absolutely no reason why Niall Huggins can’t adopt a regular spot in their national team.
Wales currently rely on playing Connor Roberts and Neco Williams as their wing-backs – both of who are Premier League players and have been strong for The Dragons.
However, Huggins has proven he is brilliant at both defending and attacking this season, while we all know he is very versatile too.
Rob Page has suggested this is why he has made it into the squad and I can see him being first-choice back-up, ready to jump in just like he was when Dennis Cirkin got injured.
If Huggins can keep impressing on Wearside then Page will know perfectly well how much of a positive impact the full-back can have on his squad.