Redmond still mulling over Reggae Boyz offer
Media reports here say Southampton midfielder Nathan Redmond is currently weighing up an offer from the Jamaica Football Federation to switch his allegiance to the Reggae Boyz.
The 27-year-old Redmond, who was born in Birmingham and has a single cap for the Three Lions, qualifies to represent Jamaica through his father.
That game nearly four years ago against Germany was a friendly and saw Redmond come off the bench as a second-half substitute.
In preparation for their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, Jamaica are building their squad around a plethora of England-based players, with Reading’s Liam Moore, Watford’s Andre Gray, Swansea City’s Jamal Lowe and Bristol City’s Kasey Palmer all recently making their debuts for the Caribbean powerhouses.
And Redmond, who has turned out for England at every youth level, is expected to add another dimension to the Reggae Boyz line-up ahead of the start of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in September, which will see them battling Mexico, Costa Rica, USA and Honduras and three other teams who will qualify from the semi-final round.
Earlier this year, Redmond said he was yet to discuss the matter of his international allegiance with his family.
“Obviously, it’s been difficult to see people during lockdown. So I’ve not really spoken to the family about that,” Redmond said. “That’s a decision I guess for all of them to make with me, because I’m quite close with my family and whatever I do football-wise impacts them and our lives.”
Redmond has been in excellent scoring form of recent, his double in the quarter-finals of the English FA Cup last month spurring Southampton to a 3-0 victory over Bournemouth.
He netted the winner in the very next game in the English Premier League to earn the Saints a 3-2 victory over Burnley at St Mary’s.
Jamaica’s only appearance at a World Cup finals came in 1998 when they beat Japan 2-1 in their only win of the group stage, boasting a squad which included England-born professionals like Deon Burton, Frank Sinclair and Paul Hall.