Joe Allen Reflects on Harry Wilson’s Inevitable Rise to “Brilliant Player” Status

Harry Wilson recently scored three goals for Fulham, having come off the bench in his last two appearances against Brentford and Crystal Palace. The Nations League match between Turkey and Wales is scheduled for Saturday, 16 November, at Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri, with a kick-off time of 17:00 GMT. Coverage will be broadcast live on S4C, BBC Radio Wales, and Radio Cymru, with live text commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app. Joe Allen stated that even though Harry Wilson did not establish himself at Liverpool, it was clear from their time together that Wales’ new talisman would develop into a “brilliant player.” The 27-year-old midfielder, Wilson, has become the first Welshman since Gareth Bale to score in three consecutive international matches. All these goals were scored during Wales’ Nations League campaign, which continues with a crucial fixture against Turkey on Saturday before concluding in Cardiff against Iceland. Allen remarked, “Where Harry is now is where we all expected him to go. I was with him when he was a young kid at Liverpool, and it was clear that he was going to be a brilliant player and have a great career.” He further added, “He’s getting a lot of plaudits recently that he fully deserves. In truth, he’s been a key player for us for a number of years now. With Fulham, he’s been making a big impact there as well. It’s great to see and hopefully he can ride this wave and take his form into his future with Wales.” This video can not be playedJoe Allen: Swansea City role has ‘opened door’ for Wales return, says midfielder Swansea City veteran Allen, 34, ended his international retirement, which he had announced in February 2023, to join Craig Bellamy’s squad. He contributed to Wales’ 1-0 victory over Montenegro, helping the new boss remain unbeaten in his initial four games in charge. Allen commented, “It’s been brilliant. The first camp was obviously the big one where it was all quite emotional and a bit of a whirlwind. But I’ve had the last month now to digest it all and I’ve been looking forward to being part of this one.” If Wales secures victories against Turkey away and then Iceland next Tuesday, the team will win Group B4 and achieve promotion to League A. Allen, who made over 130 appearances for Liverpool between 2012 and 2016, is not looking as far ahead as Wales’ 2026 World Cup qualifiers, stating he is “taking each camp as it comes.” He further added, “Craig spoke about how much further we’ve got to go and how many more improvements we can make. Everyone’s really looking forward to getting stuck into making that happen. The group have been brilliant at carrying his ideas out, and hopefully these next couple of games we can show that and more.”