Wales announce squad for September Euro Qualifiers; Ashley Williams dropped

What's the story

Ryan Giggs has named a 26-man squad ahead of Wales' Euro 2020 Qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Belarus next month.

In case you didn't know...

The semi-finalists of Euro 2016 find themselves in a precarious position, perched at fourth place, 6 points off the top, in a group that also has World Cup finalists Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia.

At the end of three matches, Giggs and his men have finished with three points that mark a victory and two losses.

The heart of the matter

Wales captain Ashely Williams is probably the biggest casualty, as Giggs dropped his name from the 26-man squad for their Euro 2020 Qualifiers. The former Swansea man has also been without a club since being released by Everton in the summer.

Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey has made his comeback to the squad after missing out in the first half of 2019 with an injury. The Juventus midfielder is expected to be in the starting lineup for Wales' first match against Azerbaijan.

On-loan Bristol City midfielder Joe Morrell has also been rewarded with his maiden call up to the national side, after being a regular figure for the U-21 sides.

In more news from the squad, Wigan striker Kieffer Moore has withdrawn from the team with an injury while Swansea City centre back Joe Rodon has been included.

The 26-man squad:

Goalkeeper:

Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Leicester City), Adam Davies (Stoke City).

Defenders:

Chris Gunter (Reading), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Neil Taylor (Aston Villa), Connor Roberts (Swansea City), Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Tom Lockyer (Charlton Athletic), James Lawrence (Anderlecht), Joe Rodon (Swansea City).

Midfielders:

Aaron Ramsey (Juventus), Joe Allen (Stoke City), Jonthan Williams (Charlton Athletic), Harry Wilson (Liverpool), Mathew Smith (Manchester City), Daniel James (Manchester United), Will Vaulks (Cardiff City), Joe Morrell (Bristol City).

Forwards:

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Tom Lawrence (Derby County), Sam Vokes (Stoke City), Ben Woodburn (Liverpool), Ryan Hedges (Aberdeen), Kieffer Moore (Wigan, announced but withdrew from squad due to injury).

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 CYHOEDDI CARFAN 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿Here's the 26-man squad named to face Azerbaijan and Belarus next month 🇦🇿🇧🇾🎟👉 https://t.co/2qzenFBYXR#TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/zSwSbEXERc

— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) August 21, 2019

What's next

Wales will play their first Euro 2020 Qualifiers against Azerbaijan at home in the Cardiff City Stadium on September 6, before facing Belarus at the same venue on September 10.