Collinson to commit to Wales

May 28, 2009

West Ham midfielder has represented Wales at age-group level and in friendlies however there had been rumours that he was to follow Rhys Williams and turn his back on Wales to play for England as he qualifies for dual nationality, but he has rubbished these claims.

“Next weekend I can put an end to all that speculation,” said Collison.

“There’s never been doubt in my mind, I’ve really enjoyed it and been proud to play for my grandfather’s country.”

Collinson is set to face Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier on the 6th of June.

Collison, named West Ham’s young player of the year at the weekend, is set to face Estonia in Friday’s friendly in Llanelli as he continues his comeback from a serious knee injury.

“There’s such a big Welsh contingent at West Ham, if I’d done something like change my mind [on playing for Wales], I wouldn’t have dared go in for training,” said Collison.

“It has been a really enjoyable season for me, I almost went out on loan to Peterborough but because of injuries in the squad, that did not happen.

“Since then there has been a change of manager and I have been given my chance in the first team, and ended it winning the club’s young player of the year award which is a great honour.

“I was 24 hours away from going to Peterborough, I was due to travel there but the previous day Mark Noble picked up a training injury and I was pulled out of the move.

“It was very close, but it was not meant to happen and I always feel that things like that happen for a reason.

“Peterborough had a really good season anyway, and got promotion, so they didn’t need me anyway!

“The new manager [Gianfranco Zola] arrived and gave me my chance, it has been a really big boost for me to play in the Premier League for most of the season, apart from the spell when I have been out injured.

“He gave me the opportunity and the confidence to go out and play to my best, and I am really enjoying it.

“My game is all about high energy and getting around midfield, but above all the manager wants us to play with a smile on our faces and that is always his philosophy.”

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.