image source, hugh evans video agency
Aaron Ramsey's return to fitness comes ahead of Cardiff's visit to rivals Swansea City in the Championship this weekend
Captain Aaron Ramsey was included in Wales' surprise squad for the Euro 2024 play-offs despite suffering recent injury problems.
Ramsey, 33, has been restricted to just two games and a total of 72 minutes for club side Cardiff City since picking up a knee injury in September.
He was expected to miss the playoffs due to a calf strain, but he recovered faster than expected.
Wales manager Rob Page has named his 28-man squad for the semi-finals against Finland and the play-off final.
Wales face Finland at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday 21st March, with a possible final against Poland or Estonia five days later, also in Cardiff, for a place in this summer's European Championship.
“It wasn't an ideal situation for Aaron. He had some setbacks, but if we had the opportunity to have him on the team, we were going to take it,” Page said.
“He's back on the grass and his rehabilitation is going according to plan. It's beneficial for us to have a player of his stature on board.”
“When you have a player of his quality, I will take him if the opportunity arises.”
Page said Wales were monitoring Ramsey's fitness at their joint training base with Cardiff City and were keen to determine how involved he could be in the play-offs.
“We're watching him every day,” he said.
“If I can use him for just a small part of the game, I'll take it.
“If he could give us some minutes off the bench, we would use him.
“Aaron knows his body and knows exactly what he needs to do to stay healthy.”
Leeds United pair Ethan Ampadu and Daniel James will both earn their 50th cap for Wales if they are selected to face Finland.
Page also recalled two Scottish-based midfielders, Ravi Matondo from Rangers and Dylan Levitt from Hibernian.
Joe Lowe, Rubin Colwill and Charlie Savage, son of former Wales and Manchester United midfielder Robbie, are also included to step up from under-21 duty.
This is Colwill's first selection since the 2022 World Cup.
Page said he felt the Welsh team was a good place to be, with a number of players including Colwill, David Brooks and Kieffer Moore seeing increased game time at their clubs.
“We picked a bigger team than usual because we have two games,” Page added.
“We're in a much healthier position than we've been in the past because all of our outfield players are getting playing time.
“There are good problems at the top of the pitch.
“There are some real choice problems for me, but they are good problems.
“This is probably the healthiest position we've ever been in in terms of guys playing and playing well.”
Niall Huggins, Joe Morrell and Tom Bradshaw are all absent through injury, while Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer is included as he continues to recover from cardiac arrest during a Premier League match in December. Not yet.
Wales national team: Wayne Hennessy (Nottingham Forest), Danny Ward (Leicester City), Tom King (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Adam Davies (Sheffield United). Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Joe Rodon (Leeds United, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Joe Lowe (Wycombe Wanderers), Chris Maepham (Bournemouth), Ben Cabango (Swansea City), Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest), Jay Dasilva (Coventry City), Connor Roberts (Leeds United, on loan from Burnley), Wes Barnes (Ipswich Town). Ethan Ampadu (Leeds United), Josh Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Dylan Levitt (Hibernian), Jordan James (Birmingham City), Charlie Savage (Reading). Harry Wilson (Fulham), Nathan Broadhead (Ipswich Town), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff City), Rabbi Matondo (Rangers), David Brooks (Southampton, on loan from Bournemouth), Daniel James ( Leeds United), Liam Cullen (Swansea City), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City), Brennan Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur), Kieffer Moore (Ipswich Town, on loan from Bournemouth).
