Ingham hopes to wing his way into All Whites jersey
The All Whites already have one Melbourne Victory winger but that number could be set to double in 2017.
Reports out of Australia suggest Jai Ingham is on the verge of a callup to the New Zealand side, joining club team-mate and fellow fleet-footed frontman Marco Rojas in the national squad.
Born in Australia and also eligible for Samoa, Ingham has recently gained a New Zealand passport, which he through his mother.
The 23-year-old told Goal.com he had already spoken to All Whites coach Anthony Hudson and was optimistic of gaining selection for the two-legged World Cup qualifying tie against Fiji at the end of next month.
‘‘To get that little moment [in Russia] would be unbelievable, you know,’’ he said. ‘‘So as long as I keep working hard and keep doing what I’m doing and making a difference, then hopefully a call-up qualifies for will come sometime soon.’’
Ingham, who started his career with Olympic FC in Australia’s second-tier National Premier League, made his A-League debut for Brisbane Roar in January, 2014, in a 2-1 win against the Wellington Phoenix. That ended up being his lone appearance for Brisbane before signing in January last year with Victory, who he has made 18 A-League and four Asian Champions League appearances for since.
Ingham has taken the field in 11 of Victory’s 18 matches so far this season, scoring in a 3-0 win over Western Sydney in round six.
Having trained alongside Rojas and another All Whites winger, Phoenix and former Victory player Kosta Barbarouses, Ingham was excited at the prospect of playing for New Zealand.
‘‘Especially in my position, they’ve got some very good players – Marco being one of them,’’ he told Goal.com. ‘‘So I’ve talked to him about it a little bit and all he’s said is positive things.’’