Hows Gary Hooper doing in New Zealand? We asked a Wellington Phoenix writer how he's getting on

The former Celtic goal-getter was on good money at the club and had long battled a number of injuries. He was released on a busy day for the club alongside Almen Abdi, George Boyd, David Jones, Marco Matias and Daniel Pudil in May last year.

What was surprising was his choice of destination, the 32-year-old opting for a new challenge in signing for Wellington Pheonix in the A-League.

But what about the nitty-gritty on how Hooper has done beyond the stats? How has he settled into life in New Zealand, what’s the state of play down there with sport at the moment and what is he thinking about a move back to England next season?

We spoke to stuff.co.nz Wellington Phoenix writer Phillip Rollo, who gave us an access-all-areas look at how Hooper is doing down under.

Gary signed for Wellington Phoenix in October. How long had that deal been in the pipeline and how much of a coup was it for the Nix?

“Gary Hooper's signing was seen as the biggest in the club's history. With Roy Krishna, who was the Phoenix's top scorer and A-League's best player last season, departing, they were in the market for a proven goal-scorer but had failed to lock one by the time the season started.

“Coach Ufuk Talay continued to stress he wanted to take his time to find the right player, and he certainly exceeded supporters' expectations when he landed Hooper, who is probably the most high-profile player to ever play for the club and is certainly the highest-paid.

“Although Hooper has been troubled by injury over the past 18 months, they would never have been in a position to sign a striker of his quality otherwise and you would have to say the risk has paid off.”

It's been a controversial couple of weeks for the club. What, in a nutshell, has gone on? Has Gary spoken about it?

“It has all developed extremely quickly but effectively New Zealand and Australia's governments have enforced strict border control measures that require anybody arriving into the countries to self-isolate for 14 days, which has caused chaos for Wellington Phoenix given they play every away game in Australia.

“Both governments have also announced bans on mass gatherings of more than 500 people, which means all games will now be behind closed doors.

“It remains to be seen whether Wellington can even finish the A-League season but the plan at this stage is for the team to cop two weeks in quarantine and set up base in Sydney for two months. Farcical stuff really but Football Federation Australia chose not to suspend the competition.

“There has been much tighter restrictions for media to limit contact with players so Hooper hasn't spoken to the media, but neither has any other player to be fair.”

How much of an impact has Gary made in Wellington?

“Hooper's achievements have been overshadowed somewhat by former Chelsea signee Ulises Davila, who has registered 11 goals and five assists, but he has been a success for sure and is getting better by the game.

“Hooper now has six goals and four assists, which is a decent rate considering he's only played 834 minutes.

“He scored an impressive flick-on header with his back to the goal in their most recent 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory. The team is also flying high in third place, just one point behind second.”

He struggled with injuries during his time with Wednesday - has he stayed fit?

“Because of his long injury layoff, Hooper arrived very much undone and suffered another setback after his second appearance.

“But the club took their time with Hooper, wanting him to get up to full fitness before starting games and he even dropped down to play for the reserve team in New Zealand's amateur national league on one occasion. There would have been just 100 or so people in attendance.

“There have also been A-League games where Hooper came off the bench to score or set-up goals and there was a feeling that perhaps he was better utilised as an impact substitute for Wellington.

“But he stressed after his most recent bench appearance that he didn't come here to sit on the bench and he has been a regular starter ever since, having now scored in the past two games.”

Does he appear to be enjoying his time there? Is he likely to stay longer?

“He seems to be enjoying himself and is playing regularly now but there is a feeling that Hooper came here to prove his body can still handle the rigours of elite football and will likely return to Europe next season.

“In saying that he has not spoken about his future plans. No doubt the Phoenix would be open to keeping him in Wellington but the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic may also have a say on whether they can afford to.”

Is there anything else we should know about Gary Hooper's time down under?

“Hooper has become close friends with fellow Englishman Steven Taylor and David Ball.

“The three of them have each bought a jetski and are always posting videos on Instagram of them cruising about in the Wellington harbour. Hooper and Ball have combined well on the pitch too. Some of Ball's best goals have been created by Hooper.”