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Wales Online
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Glen Williams

The Cardiff City starlet emerging as a World Cup play-off bolter with Wales and the dilemma it presents

Steve Morison believes Cardiff City striker Isaak Davies could be called up to Rob Page's next Wales squad, but feels it would not benefit him to go just as spectator.

Over the last year, we have seen Cardiff academy products Rubin Colwill and Mark Harris get the nod from the Welsh selectors after impressive displays in a Bluebirds shirt.

However, 20-year-old striker Davies is now hot on their heels and has arguably usurped them in the pecking order in Morison's squad.

Goals against Preston and Nottingham Forest, as well as assists against Liverpool and Peterborough, have represented a big improvement in the youngster's recent performances. He is a player the Bluebirds fans are very excited about and some are even beginning to whisper about full international honours.

They felt the same sort of fervour when Colwill broke into the Cardiff set-up a year ago, a moment which preceded a call-up to the Wales squad and a trip to the Euros.

However Wales — who take on Austria in a crucial World Cup play-off semi-final in Cardiff on March 24, the winner of which faces the victors in the Scotland v Ukraine match for a spot at the global showpiece — have an abundance of attacking talent.

If Davies, or for that matter Harris and Colwill, is selected, he would have to muscle his way past the likes of Dan James, Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and the bang-in-form Brennan Johnson for minutes on the pitch. Which, despite Davies' rising stock, looks unlikely.

While Morison believes his young striker would be good enough to mix it with those sorts of players, he believes becoming Wales under-21s main marksman and getting football under his belt would aid the player far more.

READ MORE: All the latest Cardiff City news, views, features and opinion here

"Look, he's done excellently. But for me, I just hope he gets left alone a little bit and just concentrates on playing his football," Bluebirds boss Morison told WalesOnline. "I think there are enough distractions for these players as it is.

"But there's no reason why not.

"There are a hell of a lot of players in that position in the attacking areas, like a Dan James, Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Kieffer [Moore], Brennan Johnson. It's a tough area of the pitch to get involved in.

"But he has done excellently. It's just deciding what's the best for him. Is it more beneficial for him to go to the Welsh national squad and not play and just have 10 days' training?

"Or is it better to stay with [Wales] under-21s and play and become their main striker, rather than playing second fiddle to someone and getting 10 minutes at the end?

"He was playing second fiddle to someone who was playing league football in League Two, but now he is doing it in the Championship.

"If that's the marker, I fully expect him to be playing games in this international break and not just going in as a spectator."

Wales under-21s take on Switzerland on March 25 before playing Bulgaria on March 29.

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