'Phenomenal' - Boss explains why Sheffield United ace Andre Brooks has earned Jamaica call-up
Interim Jamaica head coach Rudolph Speid has backed his decision to give Sheffield United winger Andre Brooks his first international call-up ahead of their World Cup play-off campaign.
Brooks, who scored his sixth Championship goal of the season in the Blades’ 2-1 defeat to Wrexham at Bramall Lane on Saturday afternoon, was handed his first call-up last week ahead of Jamaica’s crunch World Cup play-off semi-final against New Caledonia in Mexico on Friday.
Jamaica, who narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for this summer’s World Cup, finishing second in their group behind Curaçao, will face DR Congo in the final of their play-off path if they get the better of New Caledonia. The final will take place next Tuesday.
With the pressure on, Brooks could not have wished for a more significant moment to earn his first senior call-up to the Jamaica squad. The United academy graduate will be hoping to get an opportunity to prove his worth ahead of potentially making the cut for the World Cup should Jamaica qualify.
Brooks, 22, has been included in the Jamaica squad for the first time alongside Championship colleague Ephron Mason-Clark. The Coventry City winger has also secured his first call up and will be hoping to make his mark, likewise Tottenham Hotspur youngster Tyrese Hall, who is currently out on loan at Notts County.
Explaining why they have made it into his squad ahead of what will hopefully be two crucial fixtures, Speid, as quoted by the Jamaica Observer, said: “These are really young players who decided they wanted to play for Jamaica. That kind of gives them a passing mark right away [as] they jumped at the first opportunity to play for us.
“Tyrese is somebody that comes [to Jamaica] on a regular basis, and I was told he wanted to play for us from his Under-17 and Under-20 [days]. Brooks, he’s 22 and wants to come. But if you look at their playing record this year, phenomenal.
“They play every game for their teams, or almost every game; they make contributions to their team in terms of the success that their teams have been having, personal success for themselves, and we just want them to add to the firepower that we have.
“They are performing at a very high level, probably better than some of the fan favourites. Performance is always the first thing you look at; they fit the criteria and they fit the conditions better than some other players so it was really a no-brainer to bring them in.”