Hal Robson Kanu has confirmed that he is toying with the idea of ripping up his international retirement and making himself available for Ryan Giggs’ squad once again. Robson-Kanu initially announced his retirement in August 2018.
The West Brom forward has started the season well, scoring 4 goals in his last 6 games and looks in really good form at the moment. He is keeping the likes of Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zahore out of the side at the Hawthorns, after starting the season as third choice.
He is a cult hero with Welsh fans after his massive contribution at Euro 2016. Let’s all be honest, all of us have watched THAT goal and THAT turn against Belgium a thousand times in the last four years! He will forever be massively popular with fans and could easily dine out on that moment for the rest of his career and beyond.
But the question needs to be asked. Would you pick him in the squad for next summer’s tournament?
Wales have moved on in regards to tactics and personnel. They look to play more fluid, less defensively minded brand of football these days. The way the side is currently set up looks for the striker be a central figure who can bring others into play.
Kieffer Moore is obviously the man in possession of that position and only injury between now and the summer would probably change that. He has been superb in the last two rounds of qualifiers and is imperative to this system working
With that in mind then, you would think that Sam Vokes would have to be included in the squad. Like Moore, he is a target man and a focal point. He is less mobile than the Wigan man but does possess better feet and is a very experienced international player.
Does Giggs take more than two strikers in his 23 man squad? Probably not.
He has so many options when it comes to attacking midfielders that you would think an extra one will be taken. Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Daniel James, David Brooks and Jonny Williams would all expect to be part of the 23. If need be Bale could operate as the third striker within the squad.
The system requires more out of the more technical players at his disposal so I am expecting to see the inclusion of the six players mentioned above, all of whom you would think would be used at some point during the tournament, if fit.
This would leave the likes of Tom Lawrence, Tyler Roberts and Tom Bradshaw surplus to requirements.
Another question to be looked at is the timing of the announcement. Would he have released this information if we had not secured our qualification last week?
I’m not saying that Robson-Kanu is looking for a free pass to a major tournament but the timing could have been better. Would it be harsh to bring him back into the squad at the expense of somebody who has contributed to the qualification campaign?
At this moment in time, personally, I wouldn’t take him. If he keeps up his current form for the remainder of the season however he has to come into serious contention for a place in the squad. This would create a headache for Giggs. Does he go with Vokes or Jonny Williams or does he give a wildcard place to Robson-Kanu in the hope he can recreate some of the 2016 magic we all love to reminisce about?
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