Ben Davies’ limited game-time at Tottenham Hotspur is no issue for Wales, for whom he remains the “best player”, according to head coach Craig Bellamy.
The 32-year-old defender has made only three appearances for Spurs this season, marking his first start of the campaign with a goal in last Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Sunderland.
Davies said after the game that his future is out of his hands, having been linked with a move away from the London club he joined in 2014.
Peripheral as he might be at Spurs this season, the left-back or centre-back is an important player for Wales with 100 caps to his name.
This is a significant year for Wales, who face Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup play-off semi-final on 26 March, with a potential final against Italy or Northern Ireland to follow five days later.
That tight turnaround could be an issue for players such as Davies, whose lack of regular first-team action at club level might increase the risk of injury.
“I’ve been here a year and a half now and Ben has never been a regular [at Spurs],” said Bellamy.
“I’ve got to be honest, Ben’s been our best player. Certain players are top, such good pros, they know what they need and they gear themselves ready for that period.
“The problem is when we have two games in such a short space of time, we have to be conscious that [players] might get an injury.”
Wales will hope Davies is fit enough to play in both play-offs in March as they aim to qualify for a second successive World Cup.
The former Swansea City player was magnificent in Wales’ play-off final win over Ukraine to clinch their place in the previous edition of the competition in 2022.
He remains an influential figure, captaining his country in the continued, injury-enforced absence of regular skipper Aaron Ramsey.
But Davies missed the final two group games of Wales’ qualifying campaign after injuring his hamstring during the home defeat against Belgium in October.
Bellamy is not concerned, however, even if Davies is not playing regularly again before March.
“We’ll deal with it. There’s no issue,” Bellamy added.
“What you’ve got to see now is these boys live it. These boys train and know how to manage themselves.
“OK, nothing will get anywhere close to a game [in terms of match fitness], but these boys are smart enough to know when they play in-house games, and clubs are clever enough to know, because the difference if you train small, small, small, and you go to a bigger area, the risk of injury becomes higher. So they manage their training load and then we go bigger.”
Davies has not suffered with injuries in the same way as former Arsenal midfielder Ramsey, who has been blighted by fitness issues throughout his career.
But unless Davies leaves Spurs in January or Ramsey, currently unattached, finds a new club, their ability to play two matches in quick succession in March could be a concern.
“If it’s Ben or Aaron, we have to manage it. That’s the simple fact why we need 30-odd players,” said Bellamy.
“I think I’ve used 32 players this campaign, and we have to because we have to continuously keep our intensity.
“Where we are ranked now in Europe, we’re really high in the intensity and creating opportunities, so all our metrics have shifted.
“Now we’re in the top 10 [for intensity] and, with our identity, we have to remain there because I believe that’s where we get the big results over the next couple of years.
“Unfortunately, we have a lot of players who are not able to play two games in a row. How we manage the next situation is going to be difficult, but we’re going to have to work out a way to manage it. That’s why the best teams can qualify.”
