Former Wales defender Chris Gunter has heaped praise on national team boss Craig Bellamy, describing his former international teammate as "one of the most exciting young coaches coming through our game."
Gunter, who earned 109 caps for Wales during an illustrious playing career, is now taking his first steps into coaching as head coach of the nation's Under-19s side. The 34-year-old will lead his charges at this summer's UEFA Men's Under-19 Championship finals, which are being held in north Wales.
Gunter's high praise for Bellamy
Speaking to BBC Sport, Gunter outlined the significant influence Bellamy has had on his own coaching journey. The pair were teammates for Wales, making their senior debuts together against New Zealand in 2007.
"He's so generous with his time and we speak quite a lot. I'm really happy that we speak quite often and I get to learn from, in my opinion, one of the most exciting young coaches coming through our game," Gunter said.
"Over the last couple of years I've learned an awful lot from him and he loves everything to do with Welsh young football."
The former Tottenham Hotspur, Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest and Reading defender revealed that Bellamy maintains a keen interest in every age-grade side, going as far as watching back all of their matches.
"He actually does watch all of our games back anyway - they normally run at the same time. But normally by a Tuesday or Wednesday after a camp, he's looked back over the games and wants to know about different things and younger players."
Bellamy's deep involvement with Wales' youth setup
Bellamy's hands-on approach has been widely praised within the Wales setup. Gunter's predecessor, Craig Knight, now at Wrexham, had previously spoken of Bellamy's commitment to the pathway, and Gunter expects the senior manager to attend the U19 finals in person later this month.
Since taking over the national team, Bellamy has demonstrated a clear philosophy of promoting youth, handing senior debuts to several promising talents. Gunter's role is specifically designed to accelerate that process.
"My role is to try and give him the best players we have from the younger age group coming through. Wales over a number of years have been really aggressive in how we try and promote younger players. These young boys are really fortunate at the moment with somebody like Craig in charge who really wants to embrace that. He's shown over the last 12 to 18 months that if you're good enough, you're old enough."
Pathway to the senior team
Several players have already benefited from that pathway. Cardiff City defenders Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio have both stepped up from the U19s to Bellamy's senior squad in the past year, while Oliver Bostock of West Bromwich Albion and Jayden Lienou of Leeds United were called into the senior team for recent friendlies and are part of the U19 tournament squad.
"They missed our trip to Spain last week because they were with the senior team. I fully expect them to come back in and be a lot better for the experience," Gunter said.
"It's proof that if you are doing well and you've got the necessary tools and attributes that Craig and the senior team want then the opportunities will be there for you."
Quick Facts
Gunter caps: 109 for Wales
Bellamy role: Wales senior head coach
Gunter role: Wales U19 head coach
Tournament: UEFA U19 Championship, north Wales
Recent call-ups: Bostock, Lienou to senior squad
Key Takeaways
- Chris Gunter considers Craig Bellamy one of football's most exciting young coaches and credits him for helping his own development.
- Bellamy takes an unusually hands-on role in Wales' youth setup, personally reviewing every age-grade match and maintaining close contact with coaches.
- The pathway from Wales' U19s to the senior team is flourishing, with multiple players making the step up in the past 12 months.
- Gunter's primary objective is to supply Bellamy with the best young talent, a mission supported by the senior manager's trust in youth.
Source: BBC Sport
