‘IT’S GREAT’

WHILE NAMING his squad for Jamaica’s Concacaf Nations League quarter-final fixtures against the United States, Reggae Boyz head coach Stephen McClaren said the new additions to his team will play key roles in Jamaica’s ambition of advancing to the next round of competition.

One such key addition is Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey, who headlines the squad upon his return to the national programme.

It has been a year since Bailey’s last appearance for the Boyz, following his public falling out with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) which led to his decision to step away from international duty.

The winger was expected to have made his return during the September international window. However, injuries forced him out of contention.

McClaren said he is pleased to see Bailey has regained his fitness, and is expecting the player to contribute to team’s ambitions.

“I’ve had several conversations with him since I took the job and we’ve really formed a good bond between us. He was so unlucky the first two camps through injuries which has been hampering him,” McClaren explained.

“He’s absolutely delighted and he can’t wait to come over and to be a part of the squad. He is keen to do that and he’s very enthusiastic about Jamaica and he always has been. It’s great, he can finally come in and we get to look at him and he can look at us and contribute to the next camp and the next games.”

Another key addition will be Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden, who has accepted his first national call-up.

McClaren eyes the midfielder as a key asset to his possession-based style of play, and said Hayden’s experience in the Premier League will prove crucial to the team’s midfield.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who has played over 100 games in the Premier League, is currently on the fringes of Newcastle’s squad and views the call-up as a way to ‘kick on’ his playing career.

“There is Isaac Hayden, who I think the JFF had been chasing for quite some time. I’ve had two or three calls with him since I took the job. He is desperate to play because he is in that stage in his career where he needs to kick on, and this is one of the ways that he can,” McClaren explained.

He added, “He is a welcome addition to our squad, in terms of a genuine number six who has played at the highest level in that position.”

Shamar Nicholson will also be making his return to the squad, having been absent during the October international window.

Nicholson is enjoying a rich vein of form with his club Spartak Moscow this season, having netted four goals and two assists in 10 games.

McClaren said Nicholson’s return is especially important as Michail Antonio will miss Jamaica’s first game against the US because of a yellow card suspension.

The Boyz will also be without the ever-reliable figure of Bobby Reid, who was excluded from the squad because of family obligations.

McClaren explained that Reid and his wife are expecting a child during the window and has chosen to stay with his family to be present during the birth.

“Bobby and his wife are expecting their child during the international break and, obviously, he wants to be there during the break, which is only natural and we understand that. Family is very important.”

Jamaica will face the US at home in the first leg at the National Stadium on November 14 before the second leg on November 18 at CityPark stadium in St Louis, Missouri.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Andre Blake, Jahmali Waite, Shaquan Davis

Defenders: Dexter Lembikisa, Tavern Gray, Damion Lowe, Mason Holgate, Ethan Pinnock, Richard King, Di’shon Bernard, Amari’i Bell, Greg Leigh

Midfielders: Joel Latibeaudiere, Isaac Hayden, Karoy Anderson, Kasey Palmer, Tyreek Magee

Forwards: Leon Bailey, Kaheim Dixon, Shamar Nicholson, Romario Williams, Demarai Gray, Renaldo Cephas, Michail Antonio