SWANS: Cabango named in Bellamy’s Nations League squad, three weeks after limping off against the Blades

Ben Cabango is in the Wales squad for the start of the Nations League, a fortnight after his first minutes back from injury.

The Swansea City captain is the only current Swan in the 28 named by Craig Bellamy on Tuesday, for a League A campaign that opens with Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday 24 September and Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday 27 September.

It is his first call-up since he withdrew from the June squad through injury, and the fast turnaround at Swansea has helped. Cabango was forced off with a heel injury against Sheffield United on 22 August and missed three games, before coming on just after the hour in the goalless draw with Wrexham on 5 September.

He has 16 caps, the most recent in March’s 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland, and was in the squads for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He has since played in the defeat at Southampton and the 3-1 win over Burnley that put Swansea back in the top two.

The two home games

Wales return to Cardiff City Stadium for Norway on Thursday 1 October and Denmark again on Sunday 4 October, which brackets the international break between Championship weekends.

League A is the top tier of the competition. A top-two finish in the group takes Wales into the quarter-finals in March, third place means a relegation play-off, and bottom means going straight down.

Bellamy has Harry Wilson and Jordan James back from the summer friendlies against Ghana and Romania, and has given Cardiff City’s Cian Ashford a first senior call-up.

Six with Swansea on the CV

Cabango is the only Swan on the list, but not the only Swansea name.

Ben Davies, Connor Roberts and Liam Cullen all came through the club’s academy, as did Josh Sheehan, now at Bolton, and Cameron Congreve, now in Belgium with Westerlo. Dan James spent a season at the Swansea.com Stadium before his move to Manchester United.

Cullen left in the summer for Leicester City, with his number 20 passing to new signing Parente.

Kieffer Moore, who came on for Wrexham against Swansea ten days ago, is in the squad too.

The squad in full

Karl Darlow (Manchester United), Danny Ward (Wrexham), Tom King (Everton); Jay Dasilva (Coventry City), Jayden Lienou (Leeds United), Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Rhys Norrington-Davies (Sheffield United), Chris Mepham (West Bromwich Albion), Ben Cabango (Swansea City), Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest), Connor Roberts (Burnley); Ethan Ampadu (Leeds United), Josh Sheehan (Bolton Wanderers), Jordan James (Wolverhampton Wanderers, on loan from Rennes), Liam Cullen (Leicester City), Joel Colwill (Cardiff City), Harry Wilson (Leeds United), Nathan Broadhead (Wrexham), Cian Ashford (Cardiff City); Brennan Johnson (Everton), Sorba Thomas (Hull City), Cameron Congreve (KVC Westerlo), Lewis Koumas (Liverpool), Kieffer Moore (Wrexham), Mark Harris (Oxford United), Dan James (Leeds United), David Brooks (Bournemouth), Wes Burns (Leicester City).