'You learn in football that sometimes things can happen, and you need to remember nothing is forever' - Wales defender Chris Gunter

Two years after last captaining his country against Albania, Wales defender Chris Gunter lead Wales out against the USA last night for their 0-0 draw to earn his 97th cap as an international.

For the longest time, Gunter was warming up the bench at Reading, unsure of when his next minutes would come.

Now, since making the change to Charlton this summer, Gunter has been a consistent presence in the League One club’s defence. Despite his difficulties at club level, Gunter has continued to play a crucial role as part of the Welsh set-up.

“The Gaffer has been brilliant in terms of constantly picking me,” Gunter admits of regular Welsh manager Ryan Giggs.

“It’s one of those. Whether I was playing every week and thinking I was first choice for Wales, I’m always waiting for the squad to come out and wondering if I’m in it.

“I think it’s always something, as a player,” Gunter admits of difficulties in his career.

“Hopefully, every manager that’s worked with me will know I’ll give my best in training or in the games I’m selected to play.

“You learn in football that sometimes things can happen, and you need to remember nothing is forever and things can change so quickly”

If Gunter is selected to play in the remaining two games of this international break, he will become the first Welsh player in history to pass the 100-cap mark.

“It’s a question that’s been asked since I got to 90,” Gunter laughed, before admitting that results are more important than personal achievements.

“It would be fantastic but there’s no way you can go into a game thinking about anything other than your performance.”

Despite his experience, this Welsh camp is unlike anything he’s ever experienced. With added restrictions in place to counteract COVID, and manager Ryan Giggs’s absence, the senior players of the squad have had a more important role to play in squad morale than ever before.

“In terms of how you can affect younger players, the most important thing is to be yourself and be as normal as possible” Gunter replied.

“If everybody sees that we’re going about things normally that’s probably the most important thing.

“As long as I can remember, we’ve had players joining the squad in nearly every position that very quickly make an impact,” Gunter recalls of the new players in the squad.

“It’s brilliant to see because it keeps everybody fresh and we’ve created such a good atmosphere that it’s great to get people in who want to be a part of it”

“The atmosphere is as good as it's ever been,” he adds of the camp as a whole.