Man Utd fan Louis Rees-Zammit hopes revival under Michael Carrick inspires Wales
The British and Irish Lion believes Wales can turnaround their fortunes after seeing Carrick win four of his first five United matches.
Manchester United fan Louis Rees-Zammit believes beleaguered Wales can draw inspiration from the Red Devils’ revival under Michael Carrick.
Rees-Zammit regularly attends United matches and his love for them is reflected by the header on his X profile page – an Old Trafford banner with the words “Manchester Is My Heaven” on it.
The 25-year-old British and Irish Lion has had little joy on the international stage since returning from his 18-month spell in the NFL, with Wales having suffered some heavy defeats during a run of one win in six games.
But, ahead of Scotland’s Six Nations visit on Saturday, Rees-Zammit has been lifted by United’s sparkling form which has seen Carrick win four and draw one of his five games since succeeding Ruben Amorim.
He said: “I’m loving it. Carrick’s come in and somehow the players have decided to play proper football again.
“My love for Man United is always there. I’ve been able to get to a couple of games when I haven’t been playing for the club (Bristol) on the weekend.
“The turnaround has been good and it shows you’ve just got to build on your strengths.
“Build on all the positives in the game, and put on better performances the week after.
“We (Wales) have got to trust the process, trust what the coaches are saying, and I think that’s when you’ll see more consistent performance from us.”
Rees-Zammit quit rugby on the eve of the 2024 Six Nations Championship to head Stateside and had spells with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, although he did not play a competitive game in the NFL.
Wales saw several key players retire after the 2023 World Cup, and Rees-Zammit has rejoined a far weaker squad under the direction of new head coach Steve Tandy.
Wales have not won a Six Nations game for three years and lost 23 of their last 25 Test matches.
He said: “It’s pretty tough because I was away for a couple of years when we lost a fair few games.
“But no regrets (coming home). It was an amazing experience over there, but I missed playing rugby and playing for my country.
“I’m loving being around the boys again and getting stuck back into a Six Nations.
“It’s probably my biggest achievement ever – playing for my country, and having this honour to be in camp every day and around my teammates.
“To perform in front of your fans means everything to us as players.”
Rees-Zammit will make his third consecutive appearance at full-back against Scotland, rather than being deployed on the wing.
He said: “I’m really enjoying it. There’s probably a lot more running than club rugby.
“But it allows me that freedom to roam around the ball and create transition off kicks and all that kind of stuff.”
