London (AFP) – Tom Lawrence was Thursday named in the Wales squad for this month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Slovakia and Croatia, just over a week after he was charged with drink-driving.
The Derby forward is due to appear in court on October 15, two days after the Croatia game, with Derby team-mate Mason Bennett in relation to the incident.
The 25-year-old missed Derby’s 3-2 home victory over Birmingham on Saturday but he started the Rams’ 2-2 draw at Barnsley on Wednesday.
Lawrence has won 20 Wales caps and played in last month’s 1-0 European Championship qualifying victory against Azerbaijan.
Skipper Ashley Williams returns to Ryan Giggs’s squad for the matches on October 10 and October 13 after being left out of the Azerbaijan qualifier and friendly win against Belarus last month.
Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey also returns after finally shaking off the hamstring injury that plagued him at the end of his time at Arsenal.
Ramsey has yet to feature in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, which sees Wales trail Group E leaders Croatia by four points, with a game in hand.
Schalke winger Rabbi Matondo, who scored his first Bundesliga goal at the weekend, and Leeds forward Tyler Roberts are also included.
Wales squad:
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Leicester), Adam Davies (Stoke)
Defenders: Chris Gunter (Reading), Ashley Williams (Bristol City), Ben Davies (Tottenham), Neil Taylor (Aston Villa), Connor Roberts (Swansea), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Tom Lockyer (Charlton), Joe Rodon (Swansea)
Midfielders: Ethan Ampadu (RB Leipzig), Aaron Ramsey (Juventus), Joe Allen (Stoke), Joe Morrell (Lincoln), Will Vaulks (Cardiff), Matt Smith (QPR), Harry Wilson (Bournemouth), Jonny Williams (Charlton)
Forwards: Sam Vokes (Stoke), Tyler Roberts (Leeds), Tom Lawrence (Derby), Rabbi Matondo (Schalke), Kieffer Moore (Wigan), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Daniel James (Manchester United)
