Chelsea teenager Ethan Ampadu gets Wales call for Nations League

Ethan Ampadu will be looking for his third and fourth Wales caps after national team manager Ryan Giggs included him in the Dragons’ squad for the upcoming international break. The Chelsea teenager won’t be celebrating his 18th birthday until the middle of September, so he has a chance to face both Republic of Ireland (Sep 6) and Denmark (Sep 9) in Wales’ inaugural Nations League matches as a 17-year-old still.

While Wales list Ampadu as a midfielder, and he’s certainly capable at defensive midfield, he’s been mostly playing center back for both the Chelsea first-team (though not yet outside of friendlies this season) and the development squad.

The Wales squad in full:

GOALKEEPERS: Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Leicester City), Adam Davies (Barnsley)

DEFENDERS: Chris Gunter (Reading), Ashley Williams (Stoke City), Ben Davies (Tottenham), James Chester (Aston Villa), Declan John (Swansea City), Tom Lockyer (Bristol Rovers), Chris Mepham (Brentford), Connor Roberts (Swansea City), Paul Dummett (Newcastle United)

MIDFIELDERS: Joe Ledley (Derby County), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Andy King (Leicester City), Joe Allen (Stoke City), David Brooks (Bournmeouth), Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea), Matthew Smith (Twente)

FORWARD: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Sam Vokes (Burnley), Tom Lawrence (Derby County), Ben Woodburn (Sheffield United), Harry Wilson (Derby County), Tyler Roberts (Leeds United)

Depending on how seriously Wales take these glorified friendlies, Ampadu may not get on the pitch. Still, it’s a nice honor to continue receiving this sort of recognition at just 17 years of age.