Swansea City star Joe Allen makes admission over his future after Wales return

Joe Allen insists he's focusing on enjoying the feeling of pulling on a Wales shirt once more, and admits he's not sure how many more years of international football are ahead of him.

The midfielder announced his retirement from the Wales set-up shortly after the World Cup in Qatar, but was brought back into the squad by current boss Craig Bellamy in October.

It's a decision the veteran believes has been the correct one, with the Swansea City midfielder taking his place in the squad once again for the upcoming UEFA Nations League double-header with Turkey and Iceland.

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"It's been brilliant," he said. "The first camp was obviously the big one where it was all quite emotional and a bit of a whirlwind. But I've had the last month now to digest it all and I've been looking forward to being part of this one.

"Luckily, I have had some more game time, some more minutes under my belt which means in terms of the shape I'm in, and my fitness levels, I'm in a better place than I probably was for the last one.

"The great thing is it's all just as brilliant as it was.

"I was lucky to be part of such a great group - or a few groups - over the years where the team spirit, the passion, the bonds were always second to none.

"Having been away for a couple of years, I've come back into a group that's still in a great place. I think that, coupled with Craig and his team coming in with their new ideas, and energy, I think it's been a match made in heaven. And I think the start reflects that,

"The task now is to build on that.

"Craig spoke about how much further we've got to go and how many more improvements we can make. I think everyone's really looking forward to getting stuck into making that happen."

Allen played alongside Bellamy as a player back in the day, and he admits it feels a little odd to be playing under a former team-mate.

However, like so many of his peers, Allen says he's been hugely impressed by what he's seen from Bellamy's reign, adding that his methods sit alongside some of the very best he's worked with during his impressive career.

"It's strange, but in a good way," he said. "I think it's a completely different relationship from being a player, from being a team-mate, to being a manager.

"But I think he's taken naturally to the role of manager and you can see he has the respect from every single person, whether it's the players or the staff.

"It feels like he's been doing it for a lot longer than he has.

"[The level of detail is] up there with all of the best I've worked with. Of course the ideas and the concepts are always evolving and adapting, so it's not always the same stuff. He's got his own ideas, but what I've seen is at the top level."

Despite only recently returning to international football, Allen's advancing years will inevitably spark questions over what his own future may hold over the next few years.

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Having already seen the current Wales boss make the successful transition from player to coach, the 34-year-old admits he has already started to ponder what the next chapter will look like. Not that he seems to have many answers at this stage.

"Honestly it's something over the last few years where I've started thinking about what comes after my playing days, and despite putting a lot of thought into it, I have no idea," he added.

"I have no idea if it would be staying in the game, going into coaching seriously or not. Right now, I want to maximise on the playing and we'll see what will be."

At the moment, the task is to help Wales as much as he can on the pitch. Just how much road there's left to run on his playing career, particularly in the red of Wales, however, remains to be seen.

"No idea is the honest answer," he replied when asked about the possible longevity of this second stint in international football. "That was part of the conversation with Craig in all honesty.

"It's going to be a classic football cliché, but it's a sort of take each camp as it goes situation. That's going to work for both sides I think."