'Very good' - Leeds United star delivers beaming verdict and sizes up next big challenge upon national return

Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu has delivered a beaming verdict and sized up the next big challenge upon completing his ‘full’ return.

Ampadu battled back from two knee injuries to help guide Leeds to promotion as Championship champions from the 2024-25 campaign but the timing of his injuries meant the midfielder missed six games for Wales.

Having been forced to miss October and November’s Nations League games, a second knee injury then ruled Ampadu out of March’s World Cup qualifiers.

Ampadu, though, returned for United’s promotion push run-in and then made his Wales return when starting Friday night’s World Cup qualifier at home to Liechtenstein.

It meant a first outing for his country in nine months, after which the Leeds midfielder spoke of how difficult it was to deal with missing games for country as well as club.

Ampadu’s return, though, proved a winning one as goals from fellow White ace Joe Rodon, Harry Wilson and Kieffer Moore sealed a 3-0 success, setting Wales and Ampadu up nicely for Tuesday’s next World Cup qualifier against Belgium in Brussels.

Speaking post match to Sgorio, Ampadu was asked for his verdict on his first Wales outing since September and beamed: "Very good.

“To miss out on that through injury is obviously hard”...

"All the lads can say that they love coming away so to miss out on that through injury is obviously hard. It's difficult. But to be back here and playing and representing the country is an amazing feeling."

Pressed on the next challenge of Monday night’s clash against Belgium - who were held to a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia on Friday - Ampadu declared: "These are the games you want to play in.

"It's all part of the bigger picture to qualify for a major tournament. That's what we want to do.

"The result there (their draw) doesn't really make too much of a difference, it's still going to be the same game that it was, no matter of the results so full focus on that.

"It's about the bigger picture and we want to go out there and try and get three points."