Wes Burns credits Bellamy support for Wales return after knee injury

Wes Burns has credited Craig Bellamy with helping him maintain belief in an international comeback after a serious knee injury, telling BBC Sport that the Wales manager kept in regular contact throughout his recovery. The 31-year-old winger is back with the national squad for the first time in two years after an absence that also changed the course of his club career.

Burns tore his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for Ipswich Town against Liverpool in January 2025 and did not return for 11 months. He described fearing for his career immediately after the injury and struggling to imagine playing again following surgery. Bellamy's calls, sometimes every fortnight and sometimes monthly, helped him feel that a return to Wales remained possible rather than a distant ambition.

The winger said he had personally thanked Bellamy for that support. The manager's own experience of a similar injury as a young player made their conversations particularly valuable to Burns. His most recent Wales appearance remains the October 2024 Nations League victory over Montenegro, which he started. Although recalled for the current campaign, he was an unused substitute in Thursday's 1-0 defeat in Portugal.

Burns has also explained his decision to leave Ipswich for Leicester City despite having the opportunity to remain in the Premier League. He helped Ipswich regain top-flight status in the 2025-26 season, but chose a longer contract at Leicester with his career's longevity in mind. He said staying at Ipswich would have offered another chance to complete the full Premier League season that injury had previously denied him.

His move took him down two divisions to League One, where Leicester were 13th after winning two of their first seven matches. Burns said the club's position reminded him of joining Ipswich before their successive promotions. He backed manager Russell Martin's approach, while acknowledging that developing the team's style would take time.

Burns' latest club appearance was a half-hour substitute outing at Barnsley on 19 September. Now back in the Wales squad, he said his previous Premier League and international experience would help him handle the step up from his current weekly football. His recovery has brought him back into contention, although a first international appearance since 2024 is still to come.