Aaron Ramsey will not feature for Wales when they file out for their Euro 2020 qualifier against Slovakia on Sunday due to a thigh injury.
The Arsenal man has now gone back to London for treatment. This is a massive blow for Wales boss Giggs who is looking to start the qualifying campaign on a winning note.
‘His injury didn’t clear up in time,’ said Giggs. ‘He gave it a try yesterday but it was just too short a turnaround. It’s a blow, especially the form he’s been in, but it gives a chance for somebody else.
‘We made sure we had a Plan B, and we’ve worked on that during the week. We’re going to miss someone like Aaron, but we’ve prepared for it as well.’
Meanwhile, Gareth Bale has said that he had a soft spot for Arsenal’s Invincibles squad, adding that he had a special love for Thierry Henry. The former Tottenham attacker made this known while speaking to BT Sport.
With Henry the main front man, the Gunners went the entire 2003/04 Premier League season unbeaten. Arsenal were the top force in England at the time and thrilled their fans with beautiful football.
“I used to watch Arsenal a lot,” said a sheepish Bale. “I used to really enjoying watching Henry, and I used to like watching Dennis Bergkamp as well. Tottenham fans wouldn’t be happy that I’m holding this!”
During the interview, he revealed his admiration for current Wales boss Ryan Giggs, who is a Manchester United legend and won numerous trophies during his playing days.
“(Giggs was) a massive influence,” he said. “He was my hero growing up, obviously being Welsh, left-footed, I looked up to him a lot, I used to enjoy watching him play. Like all kids do, they want to be a player, I used to shout that I was Giggs, but I didn’t have quite the hairy chest!”
He also acknowledged two players – former Inter full-back Maicon and ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius – who were victims of his footballing brilliance.
The Wales international destroyed Maicon during his Tottenham days during a 4-3 defeat at the San Siro in 2010, whilst the German Karius was left red-faced when Bale executed a sublime overhead kick goal in the Kyiv final last June.
“I’m sure they (Maicon and Karius) wouldn’t feel sorry for me if they did the same,” he said unapologetically. “Obviously, it was unfortunate that he didn’t have a great night but for my first goal, I don’t think he would have saved it anyway.”