Williams putting retirement on hold

Wales captain Ashley Williams says he considered retiring from international soccer after the country's failure to qualify for this summer's World Cup finals in Russia.

The 33-year-old centerback played in October's 1-0 defeat to Ireland in the qualifiers which left Wales third in Group D and ended its World Cup hopes.

"It was just so disappointing missing out that I had to think about retirement," Williams told reporters at the China Cup in Nanning.