Ashley Williams believes Ronald Koeman can propel him into a new phase of his career – for both club and country.
The Wales captain will lead his side out against Moldova at Cardiff City Stadium on Monday night for their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier, just eight weeks after leaving the field against Portugal in the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Since then, Williams has moved from Swansea City to Everton in a £12m deal and come under the influence of Koeman at Goodison Park, a man whose managerial career has burnished the same glow as his time spent as a peerless centre-half for Holland and Barcelona.
“I am enjoying playing underneath him. As I said when I moved here he is one of the best centre-halves who ever played,” Williams said.
“I am going to be a sponge to learn off him and try and take in as much as I can of his knowledge.
“When you go to a new place and you are the new boy you have to try to impress everyone and get your head down and start from scratch.”
Williams, who turned 32 a fortnight ago, has made no concessions that this tournament will be his last in international football.
Unlike England skipper Wayne Rooney, who is two years younger, the former Swans captain has not suggested that Russia in two years’ time will be a final destination.
It is conceivable he could still play a part as a 35-year-old in the next Euro qualification campaign, but as far as World Cups are concerned this has to be it. It is for that reason, and the desire to rekindle the feelings of this summer that he agrees with the sentiment expressed by manager Chris Coleman.
“It’s important we don’t keep going on about it but use the experience from there (Euro 2016) to move into the next campaign, knowing what’s required to qualify,” the defender said. “I’d use the same word as the manager in being ‘desperate’.
“Having tasted it, we would love to get back there,” he added. “We want that elation that we had this summer. We want that again in our careers.”
Williams believes that Wales’ performances in France will serve them well as they look to qualify for Russia 2018.
“We have had a couple of videos in meetings. The first one we got together and had a video about the Euros just to relive a couple of those memories and relive what it was like,” Williams said.
“It was important to acknowledge what we did and it was also important to put that to bed a little bit. Use the experience of it and move on.”
Wales and Moldova are joined by Austria, Serbia, Ireland and Georgia in Group D of Europe’s World Cup qualifying section, with only the group winners guaranteed a spot in the tournament finals.
Following the heroics in France, Coleman’s Wales currently stand above Sam Allardyce’s England in the FIFA world rankings – 11th compared to 13th – but Coleman insists the tables are for fans, not managers.
He says: “I don’t look at the rankings, to be honest. A lot of Welsh people will like the fact that we are above England, but that’s not going to get us over the line.
“Of course, it’s healthy and we have earned it. But it’s about the campaign and continuing what we have started.”