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Football

15th Mar 2018

Ryan Giggs explains decision to leave Aaron Ramsey out of first Wales squad

"It's a private matter."

Darragh Murphy

Aaron Ramsey has been left out of Ryan Giggs’ first Wales squad.

On Thursday, Giggs revealed the group of players he will take to Asia for the China Cup and some eyebrows were raised when Ramsey’s name was not included but the new Wales boss has explained that the Arsenal midfielder is set to undergo a small procedure during the international break.

Ramsey is expected to feature for the Gunners in the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 clash with AC Milan, with the North London side leading 2-0 from the away leg last week.

When pushed to provide more information on Ramsey’s procedure, Giggs claimed that it was “a private matter” and would only say that it would benefit the midfielder in the future to be able to sort the issue out in the coming weeks.

“It’s just a small medical procedure that we feel, in this window, he can get done,” Giggs said. “Hopefully he can get through tonight and contribute to Arsenal.

“Gareth [Bale] is our best player, you want him there and he is a brilliant player.

“He has a game at the weekend and if he comes through that, he will be on the plane.

“It’s an important stage of the season where players and teams are going for promotion, fighting against relegation, and I want them to come away.

“There is constant dialogue with players who have got knocks on whether it is better to stay at home, like Aaron [Ramsey] and like [David] Brooks.”