Will Vaulks talks to www.themillers.co.uk...
Rotherham United midfielder Will Vaulks says he is ‘honoured’ to be in the thoughts of Wales boss Ryan Giggs, who was present at the weekend’s game against Blackburn Rovers amidst rumours of a potential first international call-up, and insists he will continue to give his all to his club’s cause irrespective of who is looking in from the outside.
Vaulks, who qualifies to play for Wales through his mother, has been an integral part of the setup at AESSEAL New York Stadium since signing from Falkirk in the summer of 2016, helping the club to promotion to the Championship last season before remaining a key figure throughout the 2018/19 campaign.
Despite reports that the former Manchester United winger, now in charge of the Welsh national squad, is monitoring his progress, Vaulks is keen to ensure that his high standards don’t drop.
“I've not been told anything other than they are keeping an eye on me and even if I had been, I try to give my everything in every training session and every game, so I would like to think that I am giving my best no matter who is watching,” he told www.themillers.co.uk.
“It just shows if you can continue to play at a decent level and perform every week then people start to notice. I will just keep doing what I'm doing and if it was to ever come about I would be delighted and it would make my family very proud, but we'll have to wait and see.
“I'm half Welsh and half English. My mum is from Wales, so in terms of my parents, I'm just as Welsh as I am English.
“My Grandma and Grandad are Welsh too, which is all of my mum's side of the family.”
Vaulks has shown a steely determination to even be in the frame for consideration, having worked his way up to second tier level after representing Workington as a part time footballer in 2013.
The 25-year-old continued to explain that whilst he has tasted life with the Welsh national team as a youngster, he thought the opportunity may have passed him by.
“I was involved with Wales as a kid in the development squads and I had one call-up to the U18s but it was rained off,” Vaulks continued.
“I've never been capped at any level other than in the development stages.
“It's something I thought might have gone for me. In the past it was always what I aspired to, but as you get a bit older and it goes quieter you start to think it may never happen.
“I have come a long way I think. With everything in my career, there have been little stumbling blocks but you have to just persist and believe in yourself. I think if you do that consistently, every day at training and in every game, eventually it comes good.”
Whilst there has been no official announcement on Wales’ interest in Vaulks’ services, the former Tranmere Rovers and Falkirk man has reiterated that he will continue to put his all into performing for his club as they continue to fight to preserve their Championship status.
“It's all just rumours I suppose, but I know he [Ryan Giggs] was at the game with him obviously having such a high profile,” he added.
“It perhaps wasn't my best game [against Blackburn] but I'd like to think if they were considering taking any action they'd be looking at more than just that one fixture and it would be something I'd be honoured to do.
“At the moment I'm really enjoying it, I'm playing every week and contributing a lot to the team, as opposed to the last time that we were in the Championship when it was a lot tougher.
“We have the foundations now and everything is going well at the club and I'm really enjoying it. This battle is what you play football for.”