Whitmore has fresh faces ready to fight for JA

British journalist Rodney Hinds says that he is excited about the prospect of England-born players such as defenders Liam Moore and Ethan Pinnock as well as midfielder Andre Gray being able to display their talents for the Reggae Boyz and to provide head coach Theodore Whitmore with the opportunity to assess their abilities ahead of a critical year for the programme.

Eight England-born players have been called up for this Thursday’s friendly against the United States in Austria as preparations continue for the 2021 Gold Cup and the final round of World Cup Qualifiers, which begin in September. Six of the eight could make their debut for the team including Moore, Gray and Pinnock who play for Championship sides Reading, Watford and Brentford, respectively.

The 28-year-old Moore recently secured his passport and this is his first call-up since committing his international future to Jamaica. Hinds believes that his leadership qualities will be an asset for the team in the long term

“Every time I’ve seen him he looks like a competent performer. Leadership is an important part of any team and I think he will bring that,” Hinds told STAR Sports. “From what I gather, he is really excited to be part of the Reggae Boyz set-up. And I think that’s the case I think Jamaica have an asset on their hands in Liam Moore.”

Whitmore outlined the centre back position as an area to strengthen ahead of the qualifiers. Among the other option for evaluation is Pinnock who has made 31 appearances for Brentford this since and is in the midst of challenging for promotion into the English Premier League (EPL)

An unsung hero

He has been a little bit of an unsung hero for Brentford because they have been for the last couple of years there or thereabout atop of the championship,” Hinds said. “You build all good football teams on your defence and that’s what Brentford have done with Pinnock. Once again, I think there’s a real standout performer.”

Meanwhile, Gray, who has been with Watford since 2017, is currently helping the club in their own bid to return to the EPL next season. He has so far scored four goals in 23 league appearances this season and Hinds says that his physicality and speed could be an option that benefits the team.

“Probably his career hasn’t gone where he would love it to have gone in terms of being at Watford but he’s pacey, he can run past defenders, plays on the shoulder because of his pace. So another player I think will want to show [his ability] in the colours of the Reggae Boyz as well.

The other potential debutants include Curtis Tilt (Wigan Athletic), Amari Bell (Blackburn Rovers) and Wesley Harding (Rotherham United) and Kasey Palmer (Bristol City). Palmer was a late addition with the absence of Ravel Morrison who has withdrawn from the team.