Rob Page has appointed Manchester United first-team manager Eric Ramsay as his new Wales assistant ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign that begins this month.
Ramsay, who hails from Mid Wales, began his managerial career at Swansea City before heading to Shrewsbury Town. The Welshman then joined Chelsea in 2019 as their under-23 manager before moving to the Manchester United first team in 2021.
The appointment comes after Page’s previous assistant Kit Symons lost his job in January after a disappointing performance at the World Cup.
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Ramsey, who will combine his role with Wales alongside his Old Trafford duties, initially took it upon himself to focus on set pieces and technical skills at Manchester United and is highly regarded by the Premier League giants. Indeed, when he was linked with the vacant Barnsley job last summer, it was understood that United were striving to keep it.
Erik ten Hag was certainly impressed and United midfielder Christian Eriksen even credited Ramsay for Marcus Rashford’s goal against Nottingham Forest in a well-crafted post-Christmas routine. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer called the 31-year-old “fresh, young and innovative” when he was first named in 2021.
On his new role in Wales, Ramsay said: “Having grown up in Llanfyllin, I am incredibly excited to be joining the Welsh organisation. There is so much excitement surrounding the national team and its recent success that it is a great time to join.
“With the team going through a slight transition, it feels like a fresh start. I’ve already had some good conversations with Rob and Alan Knill, so I think the ingredients are there for an exciting time.”
Wales have also announced a second appointment in the form of West Ham fitness trainer Nick Davies, who joins Page’s setup as head of performance. Davies, from Port Talbot, previously worked for a number of clubs during his time in the Premier League, including Charlton, Birmingham, Norwich and West Brom.
Commenting on the appointments, Page said: “Nick and Eric will be two great additions to our staff. Nick has a wealth of experience having been involved with top clubs and Eric is arguably one of the best young coaches in football right now.
“The changes give us the opportunity to build on our success, bringing new players to the squad at the right times. Hopefully in the next 12 months we will have the next batch of players to represent Wales at the highest level.”
Ramsay and Davies will be part of the next camp, when Wales travel to Croatia on March 25 before hosting Latvia at Cardiff City Stadium on March 28.
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