Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale, strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid, was on Wednesday named in the Wales squad for next week’s friendly against the Republic of Ireland.
Bale has not played for Spurs since a 1-1 draw against Swindon Town on July 16, having been ruled out of their subsequent pre-season fixtures due to injury. He sat out Spurs’ most recent friendly, a 5-2 loss to Monaco at the weekend, with a foot problem.
Wales manager Chris Coleman has also called up Cardiff City forward Craig Bellamy and Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who missed most of last season with two separate knee ligament injuries.
Wales are due to tackle Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland at the Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff next Wednesday.