Harry Wilson believes Wales have a score to settle with Turkey after missing out on Euro 2024.
Wales finished behind group winners Turkey and Croatia in Euro 2024 qualifying, forcing them down the play-off route where they eventually succumbed to Poland on penalties.
Points lost to Turkey – a 2-0 defeat in Samsun following Joe Morrell’s first-half dismissal and a 1-1 draw at Cardiff City Stadium – cost Wales dear in the race for automatic Euros qualification, as did taking just one point from two games against Armenia.
Last November’s home draw was particularly hard to take as Wales, leading 1-0 through Neco Williams’ early strike, had three strong penalty appeals waved away before Yusuf Yazici equalised from the spot after Ben Davies was penalised for fouling Kenan Yildiz.
Turkey are back in Cardiff on Friday for Wales’ Nations League game opener, and Fulham attacker Wilson said: “I’d say we definitely owe them one after the last campaign.
“We were hard done by in Cardiff. The game out there, they were the better team before the red card.
“We we were still it in then (at 0-0), but as soon as you go down to 10 men it’s tough away from home.”
Turkey subsequently shone at the Euros, beating Georgia and the Czech Republic to reach the knockout stage and overcoming Austria in the round of 16.
Vincenzo Montella’s side eventually lost 2-1 to the Netherlands as the Dutch fought back to score twice in the final 20 minutes of their Berlin quarter-final.
Wilson admits it was difficult watching the Euros at home, saying: “It was crap, really frustrating thinking we should be there.”
However, he is excited by the arrival of Craig Bellamy as manager following the summer departure of Rob Page.
The international paths of Wilson and Bellamy crossed for a few brief minutes as the former came off the bench in a World Cup qualifier against Belgium in October 2013, becoming Wales’ youngest player at the age of 16 years and 207 days.
Bellamy brought the curtain down on his 78-cap Wales career following that Brussels draw, saying after the game Wilson – who was reportedly being tracked by England at the time – was too young to be capped.
“We’ve not spoken about that. I feel like we’re focused on the here and now,” said Wilson, a Liverpool youth-team player when Bellamy was at the club.
“He said in one of the meetings that he didn’t get to qualify as a player.
“But he’s watched as a fan and seen the older boys in the squad qualify for multiple major tournaments, and then myself and some of the younger ones that have been to two.
“He wasn’t able to get there as a player, but as a coach he really feels like he can lead us to another one.
“To see the standard he set as a player was great, and I feel like he’s taken that into his coaching.”
