Harry Wilson: From Fulham super sub to Wales’ main man

Bellamy has recognised it. Wilson started all six games of the Nations League campaign that will guarantee Wales a play-off place, regardless of tonight’s result. His three goals in three matches not done since Bale in 2016.

This campaign, though, has been stop-start. A broken foot seeing him miss the opening two matches, two subsequent yellow cards ruling him out of Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win in Vaduz.

“It’s been frustrating; those first games came a little too soon for me,” said Wilson, who returned with two goals in Wales’ June games against Liechtenstein and Belgium. “The suspension stopped the momentum a little bit.”

It will be interesting whether the armband takes out any of Wilson’s bite that is not too dissimilar to the fire once displayed by his manager on the pitch.

While there have been acts of petulance – his red card as Wales crashed out of Euro 2020 against Denmark springs to mind – there is an edge to his game that is part of the attraction, part of the reason for success.

Streetwise is how Bellamy has put it.

“Harry uses his body in that way and if you get too tight to him, you foul him,” Bellamy has said previously, likening him to Carlos Tevez and Luis Suarez. “His smartness and how he is able to press, his intensity and what he is able to do, really tells me how good a player he is.”

Wales will hope Wilson shows it again against North Macedonia. From the start, of course.