Sport

Wes Burns says Wales career is better the second time around after injury

23 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Wales’ Wes Burns (left) and Montenegro’s Marko Vukcevic (right) battle for the ball during the UEFA Nations League Group B4 match at Cardiff City Stadium. Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire.

Phil Blanche, Press Association

Wes Burns says his Wales career is better the second time around after anterior cruciate ligament damage destroyed his Premier League dream.

Burns was part of Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich side when a tackle that he made at Liverpool in January 2025 ended with him being out of the game for 11 months.

It would prove to be Burns’ final top-flight appearance because, despite returning to help Ipswich to another Championship promotion last season, the 31-year-old winger joined Leicester this summer.

“Football has a strange way of pulling you down right when you feel at the top,” said Burns.

“I worked for years, floating around League One and the Championship, before finding a home at Ipswich.

“We achieved amazing things and reached the highest level. To have it pulled away in a split-second challenge, where everything feels like it comes crashing down, is tough.

“But that’s football in a nutshell, the test is rebuilding yourself to get back up there.”

Burns – who worked with a specialist strength and conditioning coach in Colorado to repair the damaged knee – has built himself up again to re-join Craig Bellamy’s Wales squad for their Nations League campaign.

Having made his Wales debut in June 2022 at the age of 27, Burns hopes to win his 11th cap as the Dragons start off against Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday.

Burns said: “Getting a cap now means even more. The first time around you don’t take it for granted but it felt like a rolling momentum thing, even though it took a while to earn that first cap.

“This second time around, off the back of all the hard work that went into the rehab, it feels like I’ve truly earned it.

“Qualifying and playing at a major tournament is the definitive ambition for the second half of my international career.”

Burns says he is grateful for the support of boss Bellamy, who suffered a similar injury during his playing days.

He said: “He was brilliant. When you suffer a major injury, it’s easy to feel forgotten by the game.

“The boss had been through the exact same injury during his playing career, so he understood the mental and physical grind of that recovery.

“Every three or four weeks he would call just to check in on me. That meant a massive amount and kept me feeling connected to the Welsh set-up.

“It’s a huge compliment that the boss still believes I can contribute at this level after everything I went through with the injury. It’s another very proud moment in my career.”

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