The Football Association of Wales is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Gunter as Cymru MU19 head coach.
Gunter, who is working towards his FAW UEFA Pro Licence, won 109 caps during his 15-year career with Cymru before announcing his retirement from international football in March 2023.
He then joined the senior backroom staff as a National Team Development Coach later that month, playing a part in helping Cymru reach the 2024 UEFA EURO play-off final and helping young players transition into the senior environment.
The former defender will now oversee the delivery and implementation of the Welsh Way tactical principles with the MU19 team and continue supporting the FAW’s work in securing talent in the national team pathway.
Gunter will spend the upcoming months preparing his side for the first round of the 2024/25 UEFA EURO qualifiers as Cymru get set to face France, Scotland and Liechtenstein.
Speaking about his appointment, Gunter said: “I’m really proud to be given the opportunity and I’m excited to get going in a different role.
“It’s a good opportunity for me to learn and improve on my side, but more importantly I want to give my support and experience to the young players coming through.
“Having that experience of coming through the pathway with the under 17s, 19s, 21s and then the seniors, I think that can really help me in this role.
“Everybody sees the senior team as the most important, which it is because it’s the real cutting edge of results and qualifications. But underneath that it’s the responsibility of myself and the other age group coaches, who have been doing really well, to facilitate that.
“We want to give Craig and the rest of the senior staff the best players in the best place, so it’s exciting.”
FAW Chief Football Officer David Adams added: “We’re delighted that Chris has accepted the opportunity to work with the next generation of Cymru players and lead our under 19s team.
“He’s someone who we identified through our combined UEFA A and B coaching programme four years ago, which was setup with the view of identifying a future international coach.
“Chris obviously brings a wealth of experience to the role having made more than 100 senior international appearances and featuring at three major tournaments.
“We’re committed to keeping the players who were a key part of our success at EURO 2016 in our pathway and it’s clear to see Chris’ commitment to developing future international players.”
