Rhys Norrington-Davies reveals why he cut short summer break to return to Sheffield United training after Euros duty with Wales
Rhys Norrington-Davies has revealed why he cut short his summer break to return to pre-season training with Sheffield United, after his season was prolonged by his inclusion in Wales’ squad for their European Championship campaign.
The young full-back was named in former Blade Rob Page’s 26-man for the tournament, but he didn’t manage to get on the pitch as Wales’ campaign was ended at the round of 16 stage by eventual semi-finalists Denmark.
Like United’s other representatives at the Euros, including Scotland’s John Fleck and Aaron Ramsdale of England, Norrington-Davies was offered an extended period of holiday to recuperate after the Euros.
But the 22-year-old instead opted to report back early, in a bid to impress new boss Slavisa Jokanović after impressing last season on loan at Luton Town and Stoke City in the Championship.
“I think it's the best decision,” Norrington-Davies admitted.
“I had a little bit of time off, a week or so, and I felt I was in good shape physically and mentally. So I thought I'd come back in, and make an impression for the new manager.
“The Euros was a great experience overall. I was a bit disappointed not to get any minutes while I was out there, but just being involved in the 26-man squad was great.
“I need to build on that now, hopefully we’ll qualify for the World Cup in about 18 months and keep going.”
“I had a couple of Sheffield United chats with Pagey,” Norrington-Davies added. “He loved his time at United, and speaks of it very fondly.”