Bolton Wanderers' Josh Sheehan on Wales boss Craig Bellamy

The midfielder hopes to help his country continue a bright start made in the previous Nations League camp, where four points out of six were earned from meetings with Turkey and Montenegro.

Sheehan featured in both of Wales’ summer fixtures, captaining the side against Luxembourg before playing 90 minutes against Slovakia in what proved Rob Page’s last game in charge.

As Sheehan prepares for a game against Iceland in Reykjavik tonight, followed by a home return to Cardiff to face Montenegro three days later, he is upbeat about his chances of making a fresh start under new management.

“It’s a new voice for everyone, a new voice for Wales, for players who have maybe not played as much to try and impress him,” he said. “He’s the one we want to impress now, leading the country.

“He has had a good start and there are a lot of new things for the boys to learn but I think people have really taken to it and we’re looking forward to it.”

Bellamy had been a polarising character in his playing days and was once sent off against Bolton Wanderers playing for Manchester City for simulation – one of four red cards he had during an often-controversial career spanning 546 games.

He has since made a successful leap to coaching, starting with a spell at Cardiff before aligning himself with his ex-City team-mate Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and then Burnley.

Wales boss Craig Bellamy on the training ground before tonight's Iceland game (Image: PA)

Sheehan says his early impressions of Bellamy the coach are far removed from those gathered from his playing days.

“I wouldn’t say he’s anything like he was on the pitch or how people portray him,” he said. “I didn’t know him leading into this but seeing him first hand he is quite different to how he was as a player, he is very calculated, knows what he wants, he is good at communicating individually and in a group, so I think he has got an impressive future ahead.

“I feel like the way he sees football is similar to the way I see football. He likes to get the ball and play but also to get after teams as well. You can see where he as worked, it’s the same as Vincent Kompany’s teams play too, and he has maybe learned and evolved from him.

“The first minute he came in he stamped his authority on how he wants to see us play, how we are going to defend, how we are going to attack, we have a lot of meetings to go through exactly what he wants and how he feels the game should be.

“It isn’t set in stone what you are going to do. If one team does this, then we can do that. How we play will go off what the opposition do, so it is a lot of learning. I find it enjoyable.

“And if there is anything that I think I can bring back here to Bolton which will benefit us, then I will.”

Josh Sheehan on the training ground with Wales (Image: PA)

Sheehan has seven caps for Wales but goes into the current international break having rediscovered some good recent form for Bolton.

Questions were asked earlier in the season about the playmaker’s suitability for the new system Ian Evatt was trying to introduce, which appeared to be affecting his form.

But the 29-year-old scored in the 5-2 win against Reading last month and has since started all three league games to help the Whites start to mend their poor start.

He now hopes that can translate to the international scene where Wales are looking to rebuild with a younger generation of players and a different playing style.

He said: “For me now it’s just trying to get into the team and trying to show the Welsh nation and some of the other players what I am about, how I can benefit the team.

“It’s new beginnings. We had a good 10 years, obviously, but there are some players who have gone now, like Gareth Bale, and you are going to miss that regardless no matter which team you are, someone of that stature.

“For us now going forward it is more about not having to rely on one person, more of us as a team and anyone we play we know we can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the world.”