Tom Lawrence ends four year Wales exile after Wayne Rooney took aim at former manager Rob Page

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Rangers star Tom Lawrence has been selected for the Welsh national team for the first time in four years.

The former Derby County captain has had a difficult time with injuries since moving to Rangers in the summer of 2022.

Rangers held off Premier League interest to sign Lawrence but a serious knee injury sustained in the attacking midfielder’s first season has disrupted a three year stint.

With major doubts surrounding the future of Tom Lawrence at Ibrox, the midfielder is back in the Rangers squad and has now been recalled by Wales too.

But Lawrence’s hiatus is not solely down to a lack of availability after a falling out with former Wales manager Rob Page that drew the ire of ex-Rams boss Wayne Rooney.

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Tom Lawrence recalled by Wales

Tom Lawrence has been called up to the Wales squad alongside Rangers loanee Rabbi Matondo ahead of the nation’s World Cup Qualifiers with Kazakhstan (22/03) and North Macedonia (25/03).

Lawrence last played for Wales in a 1-0 friendly win over Mexico in Cardiff way back in 2021, playing 65 minutes before being replaced by Nico Williams.

This was Lawrence’s 23rd cap for the country and the former Manchester United youth has had to wait four years before being recalled by new manager Craig Bellamy.

Interestingly, Lawrence, 31, has earned a recall after ex-Rangers midfielder Aaron Ramsey sustained a hamstring injury with Cardiff City.

The call-up comes after Lawrence admitted he’d spoken with Bellamy about once again pulling on the Wales shirt.

Former Celtic striker Bellamy then confirmed Lawrence was under consideration for Wales after something of an exile under former gaffer Rob Page.

Wayne Rooney and Rob Page clash over Tom Lawrence

Rob Page bit back against suggestions from Wayne Rooney that he had a personal issue with Tom Lawrence during his time as Wales manager.

Rooney was in charge of Lawrence during his time with Derby County and claimed there was a ‘bit of history’ between the two and urged Page to ‘get over it’.

“Tom Lawrence wants to play for Wales, but it’s a personal choice from the Wales manager,” Rooney said in 2022, as quoted by BBC Sport.

“I think he managed Tom at U21 level and maybe there’s a bit of history. As manager, you need to get over that.

“Wales are in a position where they are trying to qualify for the World Cup. They need their best players and Tom is certainly one of Wales’ best players.”

It’s only since Rob Page, who was Wales boss for four years between 2020 and 2024, has left the national set-up that Lawrence has been in the running for a recall.

Page has refuted any suggestion that it was personal with Lawrence, suggesting that competition and not friction was keeping the player out of the Wales set-up.

 “There’s no history between me and Tom,” Page told the Scottish Sun.

“Understandably he was disappointed that I didn’t take him to the Euros, I would have been disappointed as a player as well.

“I think he deserved his move to Rangers off the back of his performances at Derby and he’s a good player.

“But Brennan Johnson and Rubin Colwill have come into the squad, and we’ve got youngsters like Luke Harris that people are talking about. That’s just football.”