Wales media deliver intriguing verdict on Neco Williams during eventful Nations League clash
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For Neco Williams, the international break will have come at a good time for the Nottingham Forest defender.
The 2024/25 campaign has been frustrating for Williams with Nuno Espirito Santo not considering him first choice.
Ola Aina has pinched his place at right-back, with Alex Moreno dropping into the team on the left-hand side.
That has left Williams to be a substitute and he’s come off the bench on six occasions during the current campaign.
Williams was the subject of a bid from Atalanta in the summer but Forest decided not to sell the Wales defender.
On Saturday, he was handed a start for Wales by head coach Craig Bellamy and it proved to be a useful run out for the Forest man.
Wales media deliver intriguing verdict on Neco Williams performance
The 23-year-old actually started the contest at left-back for his country on Saturday night.
He helped Wales draw 0-0 with Turkey to keep alive their chances of winning the current Nations League group.
Wales were nearly beaten late on, however, with Williams in the middle of the game’s big talking point.
In the 88th minute, the defender seemingly made a brilliant tackle as Turkey marched towards goal – but the referee pointed to the spot.
Kerem Akturkoglu stepped up and slammed his penalty against the post – with justice ultimately served to Wales.
The Welsh media certainly didn’t hold that decision against him and he was awarded a 7/10 for his performance.
Wales online wrote: ‘Did really well defensively, and had a couple of promising runs with the ball at his feet.
“Was a little untidy in possession on a couple of occasions, but overall this was another good outing.
“Penalty decision looked harsh too.’
Forest cruising towards big decision over Williams
With Williams not playing football on a frequent basis, he will be asking questions about his future at the club.
He signed for Forest after promotion to the Premier League to play regular action having fallen out of the picture at Liverpool.
With Atalanta seemingly keen perhaps they will be alerted to the fact that he’s not currently playing and could test the water again in January.
If they do, the answer might be different this time, especially if Williams is keen to move on again to play more football.
The versatile full-back is a solid player to call upon from the bench but it does feel as though the next month or so could be crucial for Williams.
