Wes Burns credits Craig Bellamy’s support after career-threatening injury
Wes Burns says the backing of Wales manager Craig Bellamy was crucial to his recovery from a serious knee injury that ended his Premier League dream in 2025.
While it is usually the manager who offers words of advice or appreciation to a player, Burns reversed the dynamic. The Wales winger made a point of approaching Bellamy to thank him for the “massive” support he received during his rehabilitation.
Burns, who earned his final Wales cap in October 2024, believes that without Bellamy’s backing, his international career might have ended prematurely.
“The world of football forgets you very, very fast when you’re not playing,” said the 31-year-old, who is returning to the national team for the first time in two years.
“But when someone of Craig Bellamy’s stature, the head coach of Wales, is calling me every month, or once every two weeks, to make sure I’m doing well… it’s a massive, massive plus.
“Rather than feeling a million miles away, it always made me feel I was in touching distance of getting back in.”
Burns’ fears were well-founded. He missed nearly a year after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament during Ipswich Town’s defeat at Liverpool in January 2025. By the time he returned 11 months later, Ipswich had been relegated to the Championship, and Burns had fallen off Wales’ radar as they prepared for their ultimately unsuccessful bid to reach the 2026 World Cup via the play-offs.
However, the Cardiff-born winger remained on Bellamy’s mind. He now aims to make up for lost international minutes during the Nations League campaign, which began with a 1-0 defeat to Portugal on Thursday.
Denmark v Wales
Nations League Group A4
Sunday, 27 September, 17:00 BST
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
Watch on iPlayer
Listen on Sounds
Live on BBC iPlayer, BBC One Wales, BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and 5 Live, BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentary.
‘You’re only one second away from disaster’
Burns did not make the matchday squad for the loss in Lisbon but hopes to feature in Wales’ second Nations League tie against Denmark in Copenhagen on Sunday, 27 September.
After the trauma of an injury that cut short his fairytale rise from League One to the Premier League with Ipswich, he is simply pleased to be back on the international scene.
“You just have to remember you’re only one second away from disaster, really,” said Burns.
“That’s how I felt when the injury happened. You feel that could be the end of your career because you never know how bad the injury is initially.
“And when you’ve had surgery, and your knee’s like a balloon, you’re thinking ‘how on earth am I even going to walk again, never mind play’.
“Everything heals in time, though, and it was just about making sure I got the rehab right. The phone calls from Craig, knowing he had a similar injury when he was younger as a player, meant so much to me.”
Burns could have remained in the Premier League this season, having helped Ipswich secure immediate promotion back to the top flight in the 2025-26 campaign.
Instead, the former Fleetwood winger dropped two divisions to join Leicester City, who have struggled to adapt to life in League One under former Swansea City boss Russell Martin.
“I could’ve done another year at Ipswich, and I was weighing up whether to finish the story of playing a full season in the Premier League (which injury deprived him of the previous time) – a level I’d worked so hard to get back to,” said Burns.
“But I also had to think about the longevity of my career, and in the end I took the option of a longer contract at Leicester and possibly recreating what I’d already done at Ipswich (back-to-back promotions).”
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Burns praises support of Wales head coach Bellamy
Such a promotion charge may seem remote at present, with Leicester sitting 13th in League One with just two wins from their opening seven games. However, Burns insists the Foxes will improve as the season progresses.
“We all know the story – Leicester, Premier League champions 10 years ago, amazing Champions League run, FA Cup winners and now sort of sitting mid-table in League One,” he said.
“But it feels like they’re very much in the same spot as when I went into Ipswich.
“It’s a chance to recreate something that I’ve done in the past with an amazing manager (Martin) who obviously gets a lot of stick.
“He has a style of play and a philosophy that’s very, very football-based and high risk but when that works it’s amazing.
“Trust me – I’ve played against very good Russell Martin teams and they’re very hard to play against, but it’s a process and processes take a long time.
“I’ve got no doubt it’s going to pick up, for sure.”
From League One to Haaland on the horizon
Burns’ last appearance for Leicester was a 30-minute cameo off the bench against Barnsley on 19 September.
One week later, he hopes to return to the international stage for the first time since starting Wales’ 1-0 Nations League B victory over Montenegro in October 2024.
The journey takes him from Oakwell in Barnsley to Copenhagen in Denmark, followed by a match against Erling Haaland’s Norway at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, 1 October.
“Going from the weekly level of football I’m now at to possibly playing against Norway, Denmark or Portugal (at home next month)… obviously the gap in quality is going to be massive,” said Burns.
“But I’ve had experience of playing in the Premier League and against very good international teams.
“The one that stands out for me is when we played Netherlands away in the Nations League (in 2022), and I was on the same pitch as (midfielder) Frenkie de Jong – still to this day the best player I’ve ever played against or witnessed on a football field.
“So just drawing on experiences like that, and big games I’ve played in, will definitely help if I do get on the pitch against Denmark and Norway.
“It’s just so exciting to be involved in games like these.”
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