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All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen - Source: Photosport -
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All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen has confirmed he will lead New Zealand in the match against Jamaica on Wednesday.
With Ricki Herbert on Phoenix duty in Sydney, New Zealand Football Chief Executive Grant McKavanagh spoke to the Tottenham defender overnight and confirmed his availability.
Nelsen will depart for New Zealand after Monday morning's North London derby between Spurs and Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, arriving in time for the Captain's Run at Mt Smart Stadium on Tuesday evening.
He will then depart immediately after the game to return in time for Spurs' weekend clash against Manchester United at White Hart Lane.
"It shows just how committed Ryan is to representing New Zealand," McKavanagh said.
"It's a heck of a trip, and we wanted to make sure given his recent run of injury that he was one hundred percent fit and prepared for game."
"Given he has just signed for one of the biggest clubs in England and is trying to cement a spot, we wanted to give him time to personally discuss it with his manager rather than just wave the rule book at his employers."
Nelsen was impressive in his lone outing for Tottenham so far, in the nil-all draw with Stevenage in an FA Cup clash.
Despite the disappointment of a draw against a third-division side, Tottenham captain Michael Dawson was glowing of Nelsen following the match, calling his performance "outstanding".
"He won everything in the air, was strong and played really well. He showed all his experience in what was a real test for us against a big, physical team," Dawson said of Nelsen.
But Green Card issues have stalled goalkeeper Jake Gleesons All
Whites career forcing him to withdraw from Wednesdays
International, with Scott Basalaj called up to replace him as Mark
Pastons back up.
Gleeson, 21, is applying for a permanent residence in the United
States where he plays for Major League Soccers Portland Timbers,
but the process has taken longer than expected grounding the one
cap international and his passport until the procedure is
completed.
Basalaj, currently in Melbourne with the New Zealand Olympic squad
ahead of a second clash against the Saudi Arabia national team
impressed at last years FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico and earned a
call up for the U-20 event in Colombia. He was linked to a
move to Glasgow Rangers before the clubs well-documented financial
difficulties.
All Whites coach Ricki Herbert said it was a big opportunity for
the 17-year-old Team Wellington gloveman.
Scott did very well for the under 17s and attracted the
interest of overseas clubs in the process. Hes trained with the
Phoenix on occasion and done very well, hes got a bright future and
Im sure hell do well with Mark and goalkeeping coach Clint
Gosling.
Jake will be disappointed to miss an opportunity to push his claims
but it means another talented youngster gets to step into the
environment and potentially get a taste of international
football.
