James Collins makes huge Neco Williams claim ahead of return

Neco Williams left Liverpool for Nottingham Forest in 2022 for a £17 million fee after struggling to establish himself as a regular at Anfield.

Since then, the Wales international has gone on to make more than 160 appearances for Forest and recently committed his future to the club until 2030.

Ahead of this international break, the 25-year-old has 57 Wales caps to his name, and his development has caught Collins’s attention, who believes Williams could have a very different role if he were still at Liverpool.

“At the minute I think he does (start ahead of Frimpong or Kerkez). He’s doing really well; he’s a great player and a great lad. I think Steven Gerrard has a point; I think he plays,” Collins said on the latest edition of Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, in partnership with BOYLE Sports.

Steven Gerrard had previously identified Liverpool’s decision to sell Williams as a transfer mistake, with the former Reds captain suggesting the Welshman could have been the answer at right-back.

But Collins’ assessment of Williams in an international context could be even more significant for Cymru fans.

The former defender won 51 caps for his country and was part of the Wales side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016. His penultimate appearance came in that memorable run, with Wales eventually beaten 2-0 by Portugal in the last four.

Almost a decade on, Collins believes Williams is the one player in the current Wales squad who could break into England’s ranks.

“Individually, I’m not too sure (if any players would get into the England squad). Neco could do it,” Collins said.

The comments come with Wales preparing to begin another Nations League campaign under Craig Bellamy. The Dragons will face Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Denmark again in their opening four fixtures, starting with Portugal on September 24.

Collins has been impressed by the job Bellamy is doing with the current squad, particularly in the way he has shaped Wales as a team.

“Collectively as a team, what Craig is doing there is brilliant. Very good. I like what he’s doing as a manager, the way he talks, how he sets them up as a team; they’re doing really well.”

However, Collins also recognises that the current Wales side faces a very different challenge from the team he played in during the country’s incredible Euro 2016 campaign.

“Look at the Wales squad around 2016, arguably you had two of the best players in the world with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey,” he added.

“You look back at England and Wales, the quality of players, and no disrespect to anyone playing now, but we’d do very well to get another Gareth Bale.”

Williams is now part of the generation tasked with taking Wales forward. Having developed from a Liverpool academy prospect into an established Premier League defender and 57-cap international, he is one of the more experienced players Bellamy can call upon as Cymru look to build the next chapter of their story.