JOSH Sheehan feels he is in his strongest position yet to prove himself as an international player with Wales.

The Wanderers midfielder is currently on international duty and hoping to win his fourth cap in tonight’s friendly game against South Korea in Cardiff.

Sheehan’s previous appearance for his country came against Finland in Helsinki just over two years ago, not long after signing for the Whites from Newport County.

A serious knee injury put him out of action for the better part of 12 months and wrecked his chances of going to last winter’s World Cup finals in Qatar.

But now back to top form with Wanderers in League One, he has earned a recall to Rob Page’s squad and feels he is now primed to make an impact, if given the opportunity.

“I haven’t been in there for a couple of years since my knee and it is everything you dream of as a kid playing for your country. Hopefully I get a chance to put the shirt on,” he told The Bolton News.

“Compared to the last time I was in the squad I feel like my game has gone up a level.

“I feel like I can go there and hold my own, show the Welsh fans, the manager, everyone that I belong there and translate what I do here for my country.”

Sheehan’s knee injury – sustained in an FA Cup replay against Stockport County in late 2021 – came at a time when he was just hitting his straps as a Bolton player and becoming an influential member of Ian Evatt’s midfield.

He had been on Wales’s radar for a year at that stage, winning his first cap against the USA in November 2020 whilst still playing in League Two with Newport.

Though Page was in charge for his debut the changes at international level in the last couple of years make this a fresh start for the 28-year-old, who admits he is starting all over again on the international scene.

“I know there are probably players and coaches in the Welsh set-up who haven’t seen me playing to the best of my ability, so I would love the chance to show how good I can be,” he said.

“I have been really happy with how things have gone this season. I knew last year was always going to be tough – slow and steady – and that’s why it was only towards the end that I picked up my very best form. I think that is natural with anyone who has had a big injury.

“But having a full pre-season makes a massive difference to any player because you can build up that mileage in your legs, get the sharpness, and I feel like I have built that up quite quickly this time.

“I just want to keep improving and I think there is a lot more to come from us and from me.”