Rob Page has insisted that the Wales players will support Leeds United star Daniel James, who missed the penalty against Poland which saw the Welshmen miss out on qualifying for the European Championship.
Wales lost the European Championship qualifying playoff against Poland on Tuesday night to miss out on the summer tournament.
The game went to penalties and James missed the decisive spot kick to end Wales’ pursuit of being in the European Championship in Germany.
Page conceded that it is an awful way to miss out on the tournament and admitted that losing on penalties cut deep.
The Wales boss refused to blame James and insisted that the winger showed courage in accepting the important penalty kick.
He stressed that the players will support the Leeds star and help him recover from the shock.
Page said in a press conference: “It’s a cruel game.
“I’ve said that to the players, we were one kick away from qualifying.
“It hurts and I’m gutted for them.
“We will rally around DJ, he had the bravery to take that penalty.
“It’s a horrible way to go out.
“I am so proud of that group.”
Leeds boss Daniel Farke will hope to get James into the right frame of mind ahead of visiting Watford on Good Friday.
