Craig Bellamy has been unafraid to make bold and unexpected calls during the early stages of his tenure as Wales boss.

Even though he had previously snubbed Wales, goalkeeper Karl Darlow was introduced into the international fold before seemingly establishing himself as number one in March, after fully justifying his call-up with a string of impressive displays.

Young Motherwell midfielder Kai Andrews - on loan from Coventry - also earned a shock call-up to the squad for Wales' opening two World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and North Macedonia.

It's fair to say the reintroduction of Tom Lawnrece into the Welsh camp earlier this year also caught the eye of the Red Wall.

The Manchester United youth product had not been involved in the Welsh set-up since winning the most recent of his 23 caps four years earlier.

And when pressed, the winger had bluntly outlined the reason he felt lay behind his lengthy exclusion.

"The manager [Rob Page], if I'm being blatantly honest," Lawrence said in March after being asked why he had not been involved.

"He had his own way of doing things and I wasn't to be a part of that – for what reason, you'd have to ask him." 

He also added, rather cryptically,  "There were questions I asked that weren't answered and that was the way it went. 

"I don't think I need to go into it completely. Let's just say we didn't see eye to eye in certain things."

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Lawrence feared his Wales career was over prior to the call from Bellamy, and it perhaps typified why his inclusion came as a surprise to many given his testing campaign with Rangers.

He scored five goals in his first 15 appearances of the season in all competitions in what was a blistering period for the Welshman.

But he then went on to miss three months of action due to injury.

It has been far from plain sailing for Lawrence and Rangers since the player's return from the treatment table.

Indeed, the wideman has started just one match since suffering the injury against Motherwell in early November.

His cause at Ibrox doesn't appear to have been helped by the sacking of Philippe Clement - with club icon Barry Ferguson replacing the Belgian boss in February.

He did at least come off the bench to net in the Gers' dramatic 4-3 comeback win at Dundee in late March.

He then came on as a substitute in the 4-0 victory over Aberdeen last Sunday and he could well figure again on Wednesday night at home to Dundee United.

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But - Wales return aside - there have been more downs than ups for Lawrence so far in 2025.

However, he will once again hope to get the nod from Bellamy as Wales continue their World Cup qualifying campaign with fixtures against Liechtenstein and Belgium in early June.

It comes after the former striker initially opted against including Lawrence in his squad in October, despite stating "Tom is definitely a player I really like" while citing strong competition as the reason for the Wrexham-born winger's absence.

Like many others in the Welsh set-up, the upcoming summer represents a pivotal one for Lawrence given that his contract in Scotland expires at the end of the current season.

Now 31 years of age, Lawrence arguably has one decent move left in his career, and an impact with his country next month, should he feature in the squad, could go some way to proving he remains a valuable asset.

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He could yet see his time in Glasgow continue beyond this season, particularly given the uncertainty around the club's managerial situation - with Ferguson currently operating as an interim until the end of 2024-25.

An exit appears more likely at present, though, with teams including Coventry, Middlesbrough, West Brom, Olympiacos and hometown club Wrexham linked with a swoop for the winger a few weeks ago.

But Bellamy clearly sees something in Lawrence. 

The hope is that the 23-cap international can repay the faith shown in him and play some part in helping his country reach a second successive World Cup.