Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey: The banter is flying on the Wales Whatsapp group

If the secret to a successful international tournament is squad harmony it seems Wales are well on course for a glorious run at Euro 2016.

That’s according to Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, who says the banter is “flying” on the national team’s Whatsapp group ahead of the competition, Wales’ first since the 1958 World Cup.

Chris Coleman’s side achieved their place at the Championships in impressive fashion, losing just one qualification game and beating a formidable Belgium side as they comfortably secured second place in Group B and automatic qualification for the Euros.

Wales will now be targeting a passage out of Group B, where they have been drawn alongside rivals England, and the chance to claim a scalp or two in the knockout stages. And it could be the bonds between the squad that make all the difference when their tournament kicks off on June 11.

“We’re on a Whatsapp group, the banter is flying on it,” Ramsey said. “We’re a good group of lads, we all understand our roles and responsibilities on the pitch but also we enjoy each other’s company; we’re quite a closely knit group.”

Though the Welsh squad may not be as packed with star names as the pre-tournament favourites Ramsey is not the only player with top level experience that Coleman will be able to call upon at the Championships.

Gareth Bale was the talisman for Wales’ success, scoring seven of his side’s 11 goals in qualification, and Ramsey has no doubt he will have the quality to make the difference in France.

“He’s a good lad, he works hard for the team but has the quality to put the ball in the back of the net,” Ramsey added. “He had a fantastic [qualifying] campaign and has been on fire this season.

“All in all he’s in good shape for the Euros, we’ll need him. But the whole team have done really well, we work our socks off for each other and we can play a bit too.

“I played a few times with him at U17s, U19s, U21s. You could always tell he had that ability to go on to great things. I played with him when he played centre-back, left-back.”