Wales boss Ryan Giggs admitted it was a difficult decision to include Tom Lawrence in his squad for the upcoming Euro 202 qualifiers and had to consult with Derby County boss Phillip Cocu.
The Rams forward was arrested following a car crash and charged with drink-driving after a team-building exercise last week and was subsequently released on bail.
Cocu named Lawrence in the Rams side that drew 2-2 to Barnsley on Wednesday night and he was booed by both sets of fans upon his return.
On Thursday morning Giggs to take on Slovakia and Croatia next week and revealed it was a call which required hours of deliberation and consultation.
“It was a case of speaking to everyone involved,” Giggs said. “I spoke to my staff and the FAW, I’ve been liaising with Derby, I spoke to Phillip Cocu two days ago to see what Derby’s stance was.
“It wasn’t an easy decision.
“I’ve known Tom for a long time. I gave Tom his debut at Manchester United. I spoke to him on Sunday, he’s disappointed.
“From a football point of view, he played last night with Derby and I wanted him involved in the squad. He’s an important player for us.”
Lawrence will appear in Derby Magistrates’ Court on October 15, just two days before Wales play their crucial qualifier against Croatia.
Giggs admitted that court date might well be on the player’s mind before that game and will have to assess the situation next week.
“I spoke to him Sunday and He was a bit down as you can imagine,” Giggs added. “He played last night and did OK, (assistant) Robert Page was at the game and said he did well.
“But it’s not going to be easy because he’ll be thinking about that. I’ll see how he is during the week, I’ll see how he trains and then make a decision or not on whether to start him in any of the games.”
Wales sit fourth in Group E with a game in hand over three sides above them, Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia.
