Coach coy on Phoenix job

New Zealand under-20 coach Des Buckingham is remaining tightlipped on the prospect of replacing Mark Rudan at Wellington Phoenix but did say it was crucial for the club to maintain a strong connection with NZ Football.

The Englishman, 34, is a former Phoenix assistant coach who stepped into the head coach role alongside Chris Greenacre when Ernie Merrick resigned early in the 2016-17 A-League season.

The Phoenix posted a solid sixwin, six-draw, seven-loss record during Buckingham’s 19-game tenure but both he and Greenacre were forced to reapply for their jobs and ultimately missed out to Darije Kalezic, who proved to be a poor appointment.

Unsuccessful in his bid to become Phoenix coach on a fulltime basis, Buckingham headed back to Britain and took on a role with Stoke City’s under23 team, but he has since returned to New Zealand and will lead a talent-laden under-20 men’s side at next month’s World Cup in Poland.

In Wellington ‘‘for work’’ yesterday, Buckingham was coy when asked if he would be interested in replacing Rudan when he spoke to after finalising his 21-man squad for the World Cup.

rslDes Buckingham, above

Rudan is returning to Australia at the end of the season and is widely tipped to be the inaugural coach of expansion club Western United.

‘‘I’m not going to give you an answer.

o‘‘I really enjoyed my time in Wellington and with the Phoenix,’’ Buckingham said.

‘‘Chris and I took over when we lost six out of eight games and managed to put a points tally together that would have got us in

tncorthe playoffs, so to do that on the back of losing six out of eight, as I said to Chris, I was happy with,’’ Buckingham said.

‘‘I think we’ve got a real good crop of New Zealand players and young players that we are currently working with and I think the Phoenix play a massive role in not only helping football in this country develop, we need a professional club and they’re a real pathway for that to happen.

‘‘There are other pathways of course, like overseas, but that’s as much as I’ll say on that.’’

Although Buckingham’s contract with NZ Football expires in December, he said he was keen stay in New Zealand for the foreseeable future.

‘‘I’ve invested a lot of my life here, it’s probably 40 per cent of my working life that has been here, and as long as I’m wanted here and there’s a job to do here and I enjoy it, then I’m more than happy to stay and try and build upon some of the work that’s been done.’’

There is no shortage of exciting young prospects in the New Zealand under-20 squad.

It features three All Whites in midfielder Sarpreet Singh, defender Liberato Cacace and goalkeeper Michael Woud, and seven players, including Singh and Cacace, from the Phoenix.

New Zealand have been drawn with Honduras, Uruguay and Norway in Group C.

‘‘I’ve invested a lot of my life here, it’s probably 40 per cent of my working life that has been here.’’