It is a conversation that resurfaces every international break, when Rob Page is asked who his keeper will be the for the upcoming qualifying, Nations League, or friendly match.

In recent years, the answer has been Danny Ward, with the occasional run in the side for Wayne Hennessey.

The next question, though, is always the tricker one. Why isn’t either goalkeeper playing for their club and what is being done to rectify the situation?

Since Ward’s breakout season with Aberdeen in 2015/16, which saw him make his Wales debut and appear in Wales’ historic 2-1 victory over Slovenia at EURO 2016, the Wrexham-born keeper has made 70 league starts in eight seasons.

For comparison, Ward has 41 Wales caps to date.

After signing for Liverpool from Wrexham in 2012 as a 19-year-old, Ward spent his penultimate season on loan at Huddersfield, helping them to promotion to the Premier League. Following a season as third choice at Anfield, Ward made a high profile move to Leicester City in 2018.

Despite the £12.5million paid for him, Ward was second choice behind Kasper Schmeichel. His struggles to make the starting eleven were juxtaposed with his international fortunes, as Ward established himself in the Wales team under Page, starting all four games at EURO 2020.

Ward finally got a run in the Leicester team in his fifth season at the King Power Stadium and was immediately put under scrutiny for his distribution and Leicester’s poor form.

Ward lost his place as number one goalkeeper in early 2023 and, under new manager Enzo Maresca, he remained second choice after 23-year-old Mads Hermansen was signed from Brondby IF for approximately £7.5million.

As recently as the March international break, Rob Page expressed sympathy for Ward’s situation but mistakes like the first goal conceded against Slovakia have not been infrequent enough for fans not to question his situation.

Ward has another year left on his contract at Leicester, who are now preparing for the Premier League, and it is clear he needs a move, whether on loan or permanently, in order to recapture his best form and be ready for international duty.

The other goalkeeper to share the vast majority of Wales’ goalkeeper duties is Wayne Hennessey.

Hennessey has over 100 caps for his country and will likely break Gareth Bale’s record of 111 appearances before the end of his career.

And yet, like Ward, Hennessey has not been the undisputed no.1 at club level for over six years, with the last four seasons totalling three league games at three clubs: Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Nottingham Forest.

Hennessey is another who has spoken with Page about his club situation, with the added blow of an Achilles injury complicating matters.

While Ward should be able to find a club, perhaps at a lower level than he has played at previously, Hennessey may find it difficult until he regains full fitness.

Nevertheless, Page has given his full backing behind both goalkeepers.

“I think the world of Wayne, everybody knows that, I have had him in every squad,” Page said in May.

“I will have a conversation in the next few days before we go on camp and see where his head’s at.

“He can’t find a club if he’s injured at this moment in time. So I think his focus will be on getting himself fit, getting himself in a position so that if he wants to continue playing he can do so.”

Page also admitted that he had attempted to persuade Ward to move earlier than this summer.

“I’ve spoken to Danny. It wasn’t a case of him not listening to my advice,” Page said in March.

“I had a couple of conversations with him. When you put your player head on, you get it, I understand it.

“When politics are involved and you’ve got a length of time left on your contract, it is not as easy as just getting out and playing games of football. There are many aspects to that.”

Outside of Ward and Hennessey, Wales’ goalkeeper options include Adam Davies and Tom King, neither of whom are playing regularly for their clubs.

In the 2023/24 season, Davies made one Carabao Cup appearance for Sheffield United in August, while King spent the season on the bench for Wolverhampton Wanderers, after a promising previous campaign on loan at Salford City and Northampton Town.

Neither are of the quality of Ward or Hennessey, but one feels that if they had been playing regularly, more opportunities may have arisen to take the goalkeeper shirt away from the two established options.

With a quieter Nations League B campaign coming up in the autumn, Page may look to share around the Wales no.1 shirt, with the aim of finding a more long term keeper.

If any one of the four options are playing regular club football come September and Wales’ opener against Türkiye, then they will have put themselves in an excellent position to fill the vacuum in goal for Cymru.