Former Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren attracted attention after successfully leading the Jamaican national team to nearly qualify from the World Cup qualifying rounds. McLaren will be officially appointed as the head coach of Jamaica in July 2024. He previously served as Ten Hag's assistant at Manchester United.
McLaren said: "If we can achieve this goal, everyone in Jamaica and the world will be proud."
McLaren's latest roster has recruited 26 players, 15 of whom are playing in the English league. Players like Isaac Hayden, Demarai Gray, Mason Holgate and Rico Henry are currently the team's main players. A number of young players from Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers have also joined the ranks of the Jamaican national team.
Among them, Isaac Hayden lost motivation after being marginalized in Newcastle, and finally accepted McLaren's invitation to join the Jamaican national team.
According to previous reports, McLaren successfully recruited players from the Jamaican diaspora by taking advantage of the new competition format of the 2026 World Cup. The new competition system provides six direct promotion places for the Central and North American and Caribbean Football Confederation. This situation greatly increases Jamaica's chances of qualifying.
Despite facing strong opponents such as Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao, McLaren emphasized that his team has high fighting spirit.
McLaren emphasized: "Everyone's goal is to qualify for the World Cup, and we are very close to the goal. We have experienced ups and downs, with successes and failures."