Chris Coleman Says Joe Ledley Will Play If Match Fit

Chris Coleman has claimed that he will consider starting with Joe Ledley if the player is fit enough to start the match. Ledley is without the club after deciding to leave Crystal Palace in the summer.

However, he has not been able to find the club in the last few months, and it is looking increasingly likely that the 30-year-old will have to drop down a division or two in order to find regular first-team football. The former Cardiff youngster made the switch to Celtic which brought him to greater prominence across European football in 2010. After spending four years at Celtic, he returned to English football with Crystal Palace in the January transfer window of 2014 for around € 3.5 million.

After three seasons at Crystal Palace, he has been released from his contract and is now searching for a new club. Even though he has not played for a considerable period of time, Coleman says that he will always consider a player of Ledley’s quality if he demonstrates sufficient match fitness. It is an extremely important upcoming match for Wales, as they are up against Austria in the first of the qualifiers.

This will be followed by a match against Moldova. Wales have no option but to win both these matches and hope that rivals like Serbia and Republic of Ireland drop points. It is essential to have a victory in order to get back into the top two of the group.

"I'm flabbergasted Joe is not with a club, although he's obviously had offers.We'll get him as fit as we possibly can and he'll start if he's anywhere near fit because he's been brilliant for me.He'll have a little bit extra to do in training, but when you've got someone like that you've got to make the most of it.If he's anywhere near, we won't have any qualms of putting him in," said Coleman.