Chris Coleman must make 'massive and tough' Wales decision

Osian Roberts and Chris Coleman
Osian Roberts (left) is FAW technical director as well as Chris Coleman's assistant manager

Assistant manager Osian Roberts says Chris Coleman "loves managing Wales" and "is excited about their future", but must ensure staying in the role is right for him personally.

Roberts has been at Coleman's side since 2012, when he succeeded Gary Speed.

But since Republic of Ireland ended Wales' 2018 World Cup hopes, Coleman's future has been in doubt.

"It's going to be a massive and a tough decision for him," Roberts said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Sport, Roberts added: "He'll be thinking about it for a while.

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"There's no question he loves managing Wales, but he's got to do what's right for him first and then we'll have to take it from there."

Roberts was assistant coach to Speed and part of Coleman's backroom staff when they made history by qualifying for the 2016 European Championships in France, where they reached the semi-finals.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) wants Coleman to stay, with talks expected to begin before his contract finishes at the end of November.

Leading Wales players also want Coleman to commit to staying in charge.

Roberts added: "The transition from a Euros squad to a new squad has already happened with seven or eight new faces.

"So I know that Chris is excited about the young players coming through and the strengthening of what we already have in the first-team squad.

"The FA of Wales have come out publicly and said that they want him to stay, which is the first step.

"And then it's just about those discussions - how those look, and so on.

"The clear thing is that Chris is passionate about managing Wales.

"He's excited about the future. He feels we can build on what we've already achieved."