Josh Sheehan will captain Wales for the first time in only his sixth international appearance when they face Gibraltar in Thursday’s friendly.
Manager Rob Page is expected to field a youthful and inexperienced team for the game in Portugal, with several players set to make their international debuts.
Despite never having started a game for Wales, midfielder Josh Sheehan of Bolton Wanderers will lead a significantly altered lineup against Gibraltar, who are ranked 203rd in the world. This change comes as key players are rested for Sunday’s friendly against Slovakia.
Expressing his feelings, Sheehan, aged 29, described the moment when Page informed him of his captaincy as “surreal.”
“He told me this morning – he pulled me aside after breakfast and said ‘you are playing tomorrow’ and he just dropped in there ‘you are going to be leading the boys out’,” Sheehan added.
“I couldn’t really believe it to be honest – it’s not something I thought was going to happen. I was happy to be playing the game and try to show what I am about. To lead the boys out is something you dream about.”
Thursday’s fixture at Estadio Algarve in Faro marks Wales’ first match since their Euro 2024 qualification hopes were dashed, having lost their play-off final at home to Poland on penalties in March.
The squad includes six players who are yet to earn a cap, among them Lewis Koumas, an 18-year-old striker from Liverpool and son of former Wales midfielder Jason, along with 17-year-old Leeds United midfielder Charlie Crew.
Also vying for their debut caps are Coventry City’s Jay Dasilva, defender Fin Stevens who has impressed while on loan at Oxford United from Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ goalkeeper Tom King, and Matt Baker, a Stoke City defender who spent the previous season on loan at Newport County.
Wales will be without several senior players, including captain Aaron Ramsey, goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, full-back Neco Williams, and midfielders David Brooks and Harry Wilson.
Facing Gibraltar, whom Wales defeated 4-0 last October, provides an opportunity for Manager Page to experiment before the encounter with Slovakia in Trnava on Sunday, a team that has secured qualification for Euro 2024.
Josh Sheehan, who earned his first cap in 2020, brings a wealth of experience, having played over 300 senior games since his career’s inception at Swansea City, which also included a three-year stint at Newport County. He believes his extensive club-level experience may have influenced Page’s decision to appoint him captain.
“It’s a younger group in this camp. I haven’t played so many at internationals but I have played a lot of league games, so maybe he has taken that into consideration,” Sheehan added.
“Hopefully I can show that on the pitch. For me playing for Wales was always the goal and to be captain was never part of my plans. To do it is something you will never forget.”