Wood returns from injury for Abu Dhabi tourney
Chris Wood is the notable inclusion in the All Whites squad to play in Abu Dhabi this month.
Wood played the full 90 in Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton yesterday after missing five games with a hamstring injury.
Given that layoff, his availability was uncertain for the trip to the Middle East, where the All Whites will face Egypt (world No 36) and then Croatia (10) or Tunisia (41).
“I spoke to him after the game [yesterday] and he said he felt great, didn’t feel any issues,” All Whites coach Darren Bazeley told the Herald. “So it is looking pretty good but we will work with Woodsy to see how he feels re game time.”
He looks likely to play a prominent role in the first match at least.
“It’s a real bonus for us,” said Bazeley.
The 24-man squad also sees recalls for Kosta Barbarouses, Dane Ingham, Ben Old and Oli Sail, who missed last November’s matches against Greece and Ireland. There is a debut call-up for 18-year-old Wellington Phoenix defender Lukas Kelly-Heald.
Defender Bill Tuiloma is a notable omission, along with striker Alex Grieve. Tuiloma has yet to appear for his MLS club Charlotte this season and was out of favour much of last year, with his last appearance in July.
“He hasn’t played a lot of football at his club for a while and picked up an injury pre-season. They don’t stop for the window as well.”
Greive is on loan at Dundee United, top of the Scottish Championship, which also doesn’t pause for the Fifa window. Bazeley said Grieve needed to “stabilise his career there” but added Barbarouses was in form and had “earned the call-up”.
Marco Rojas, Joey Champness and Niko Kirwan were other recent All Whites to miss out, while James McGarry wasn’t considered as he returns from injury at Aberdeen.
“We’re in a good place, better than we have been in a long time. Hopefully the competition creates performance, the players that are in want to stay in and the players that are out want to get back.”
Ingham hasn’t featured in an All Whites squad since the home series against China last March but has impressed Bazeley with his form.
“He brings energy, he’s athletic and is similar to Tim Payne in terms of getting forward.”
Kelly-Heald has turned heads for the Phoenix, with 17 starts. He is seen as a long-term centre back option but has performed well at fullback.
The squad features eight players aged 23 or under (Tyler Bindon, Matthew Garbett, Kelly-Heald, Old, Alex Paulsen, Marko Stamenic, Finn Surman and Ben Waine) who are eligible for the Paris Olympics.
New Zealand’s first game is on March 23 against an Egypt team that will not include Liverpool striker Mohammed Salah. Win that, and the All Whites will face Croatia or Tunisia in the four-team tournament final on March 27. Bazeley expects Croatia to be at full strength, including Real Madrid’s Luka Modric and Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol. The third-place playoff is on March 26.