Dylan Lawlor ruled out of Wales' final Nations League matches with hamstring injury

Dylan Lawlor will miss Wales' final two Nations League matches after a hamstring injury interrupted his return to action for Cardiff City, BBC Sport reported. The 20-year-old defender has been ruled out until after the November international break, leaving him unavailable for the meetings with Norway and Portugal as Wales conclude their League A campaign.

Watch the highlights:

Cardiff head coach Brian Barry-Murphy said Lawlor was expected to be sidelined for around five to six weeks. Speaking before his team's Championship match against Birmingham, the coach described the setback as disappointing after the work Lawlor had already put into recovering from a knee injury. That earlier problem had kept him out at the start of the season.

Lawlor suffered the knee issue during Wales' 1-1 draw with Ghana in June and has not appeared for his country since. He made his first start of the club season against Blackburn on 10 October, but sustained the hamstring injury against Watford three days later. According to the BBC report, he has made only three appearances for Cardiff this season and has six Wales caps.

Barry-Murphy acknowledged some regret when asked about using the defender in both matches so soon after a lengthy absence. He explained that Lawlor had performed well against Blackburn, that Cardiff wanted to give him continuity and that the team's alternatives were limited. The coach said the priority now was to move forward with the player's rehabilitation rather than revisit the selection decisions.

The recovery period will also allow Cardiff to continue treating Lawlor's knee. Barry-Murphy said the defender had still been experiencing discomfort when he returned against Blackburn and was not completely comfortable against Watford either. The coach hopes the time away will allow the club to strengthen and protect the knee while addressing the hamstring injury, with the aim of keeping Lawlor fit for the rest of the season.

Wales face Norway in Oslo on 14 November before hosting Portugal in Cardiff three days later. Craig Bellamy's side still have an opportunity to avoid relegation from League A and improve their Euro 2028 qualifying seeding, BBC Sport reported. They will have to pursue those objectives without Lawlor.