Wales appoint former Portland Thorns boss and Canada defender Rhian Wilkinson as new manager

The former Canada international defender will take charge of the Wales women's national team as their head coach. Wilkinson returns to coaching for the first time since leaving NWSL club Portland Thorns in December 2022.

The 41-year-old left the American club right after guiding them to NWSL Championship triumph after she was investigated by the league for her relationship with player Emily Menges. The manager self-reported text messages in which she and Menges expressed feelings for one another. Wilkinson was later given a clean sheet for her conduct as she was not found guilty of violating any team or league policy. The manager, though, tendered her resignation from the post as she felt she lost the confidence of her team.

After she retired from professional football in 2017, Wilkinson worked as an assistant coach in the Canada women's national team and the England women's national side before moving to the NWSL.

The new manager's first task will be to guide Wales to their first major international tournament, which will be the upcoming Euro 2025 - with qualifiers set to begin in April.