Although Michail Antonio, who withdrew from the team for their two Nations League games against Honduras and Haiti, will be missed, according to REGGAE BOYZ assistant coach Merron Gordon, they are loaded with attacking skill and can manage without the large striker.
Dexter Lembikisa at right back and Cory Burke at forward had to be removed from the team due to injury, while Antonio left for personal reasons.
Antonio will be replaced by Romario Williams, Cory Burke will be replaced by Demario Phillips, and Javain Brown will take Lembikisa’s place.
Gordon claims that any international team would be glad to have Antonio as a world-class striker. But he thinks his absence is less of a worry because of their variety of assault options.
Michael is a crucial piece of every puzzle, constantly. He is an elite striker. He is a striker who performs well for his club and against clubs from other countries, he remarked.
The West Ham player, he said, had some personal concerns that he hoped he could resolve in a day or two but, regrettably, would take the entire international transfer window.
He was very eager to attend. He once attempted to make things right so he could attend the Haiti game, but it was impossible.
“The good news is that we are fortunate in terms of our attackers. The replacements have been excellent and quite effective, despite the fact that we might not have our starting striker,” remarked Gordon.
“We can always change things up and make it work because we have Leon (Bailey), Bobby (Reid), and Demarai (Gray) on our team.
“Shamar (Nicholson) wasn’t playing for his old club in the later half of the season, despite the fact that he is not currently playing for his new team.
“Shamar is a big player for Jamaica and an international player who scores big goals against major clubs. Michail will be missed, but we also have strong successors.
In the meantime, Gordon disclosed that Lembikisa may not be able to return right away for his club following the international window after suffering a bruised bone in Rotherham’s league match against Norwich over the weekend.
Burke has been dealing with a recurring injury, but the technical staffs of Jamaica and the New York Red Bulls have agreed to let him try to heal during the window.
Given that Brown was a consistent performer for head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson, Gordon thinks he will fit right in.
“Romarario Williams should visit and present his skills to the new coaching staff at this time. I’m not sure whether position is ideal for Demario because he is so gifted,” he remarked.
Lembikisa, Brown, and Tayvon Gray are the three young right backs we have to choose from. Brown is fully aware of what the coaches desire.
“Jamain wasn’t playing poorly, per se. We have three right backs, so we wanted to give young [Tayvon] Gray a close examination to see how he fit in.
He further stated that the coaching staff is unconcerned about the adjustments.
“Having any of those (replaced) players is always appreciated, but if they are not present, we do have competent replacements,” the coach said.
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