'What you could have won' - ITV commentator makes light-hearted Joe Morrell comment as Portsmouth midfielder Joe Morrell swaps midweek trip to Ipswich for World Cup outing in Qatar

Yet his introduction was accompanied with a ‘what you could have won’ comment by ITV commentator Clive Tyldesley.

It was a remark made in jest, with Tyldesley making the point that if the 25-year-old was not in Qatar as part of Rob Page’s 26-man Welsh squad, he would be preparing for a Papa John’s Trophy trip to Ipswich tomorrow night.

And he rounded off Morrell’s introduction to the action by suggesting he knows exactly where the former Luton man would rather be at this moment in time.

It was all a bit of light-hearted humour as the midfielder realised his dream of representing his country on football’s biggest stage.

And no doubt, many of Morrell’s Fratton Park team-mates would love to be there, too, rather than facing a cold, dark, wet evening in Ipswich in the Papa John’s – no disrespect intended!

His four-minute run-out in the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium as a replacement for Ethan Ampadu represented the Blues man’s 31st cap for the Welsh.

He’ll be hoping for more game time when Page’s side take on Iran on Friday, before they face fellow Group B opponents England next Tuesday for a potential place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Before that, though, he’s what Tyldesley said as Morrell made his World Cup final debut.

‘So Joe Morrell of Portsmouth comes on.

‘Pompey are doing pretty well in League One…. they’re at Ipswich tomorrow night – Joe, what you could have won!

‘Would you rather be playing in a World Cup final?….. Oh maybe!’