Dan James and his Welsh teammates should benefit from a “big bonus” at Leeds United after their penalty shootout heartbreak on international duty, says Phil Hay.
The quartet of James, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Connor Roberts were involved for their country on Tuesday (26 March), missing out on a place at Euro 2024 to Poland as the Whites winger missed the crucial spot kick, but The Athletic’s Hay told The Square Ball (29 March) that the intensity of the promotion fight at Leeds United could be the ideal distraction to walk straight back into.
Daniel Farke’s side return to the title race against Watford three days after the international disappointment with the team top of the table, and Hay suggested there might even be a positive reaction from the Welsh players at Vicarage Road.
He said (6m 10s): “Farke had said that he hadn’t actually been in touch with any of them, he just kind of left them to get on with it, which seems to make sense to me.
“It is a big bonus I think that you’re coming straight back into a really, really intense and promising promotion fight. It does, I think, grab your attention straight away to distract them.
“It will be interesting to see in the performance whether you see a bit of frustration from what’s gone on earlier in the week and whether you see big performances from them.”
