\n<\/p>\n
“These are women who have given everything for their country and as our young players come through now, I think having the support of those players around the environment is huge,” Wilkinson added.<\/p>\n
“Equally, Jess needs to see a little bit behind the curtain so she can make her decisions about what she might want to do in the future, if she ever retires!”<\/p>\n
The Czech Republic game, which will be played in Uherske Hradiste, is Wales’ first competitive fixture since Euro 2025, the maiden women’s major tournament in the nation’s history.<\/p>\n
Wales’ hopes of following their European Championship appearance by reaching a first World Cup have not been helped by the loss of Fishlock, the greatest female player in the history of the Welsh game.<\/p>\n
But while she feels Fishlock could still contribute on the pitch, Wilkinson says she has to accept her decision to stand down from Wales duty.<\/p>\n
“Listen, Jess is one of those players that could play for many more years and she knew that when she retired,” Wilkinson said.<\/p>\n
“It’s painful to know that she could probably still step on the pitch, but equally I think it was a great decision that she’s made when she’s healthy, strong and still fully capable to be like ‘OK, I want to focus on my club football at this point’.<\/p>\n
“We had really good conversations and Jess is an all-in type person so she wouldn’t say ‘oh I’m good to go for another year’. In her mind if she’s good to go, she’s saying yes to a cycle, whether that’s two or four years, and I don’t think she felt like she had the energy to do that.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n