McClaren asks Bailey for 100 per cent

NATIONAL SENIOR men’s football team coach Steve McClaren has implored Aston Villa star, Leon Bailey, to be a role model for young local players, and to replicate his performances in a Villa shirt with the Reggae Boyz.

Bailey has not played for the Reggae Boyz since their dramatic 3-2 win over Canada in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal last November.

The player, who had declared himself unavailable, before his selection was suspended by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), has been the topic of discussion after general secretary Dennis Chung said he needed to write a letter, making his availability for selection known before his reinclusion.

However, McClaren yesterday named his 23-man squad to play Cuba in the Concacaf Nations Cup on September 6, inclusive of Bailey.

McClaren told a press conference at the JFF that he spoke with the player who declared his love for his country and commitment to the national team.

“The last player coming back in is an interesting player: Leon Bailey. I know the history. I know what happened. So I picked up the phone and called him a few times. We’ve been in touch and I said ‘what’s the feeling to coming back’.

“Look, I want the best players. I said that from the beginning. The best players Jamaica can produce. I want them in the team. Well, he is one of the best players.

“We talked about that and playing for Jamaica, and how proud he has been from a youth, from eight years old he has been involved in Jamaican football. He loves his country. That was the first thing he said. ‘I love my country. I am going to represent my country’,” said McClaren.

The coached noted that although Bailey has been under pressure, for both country and club, he must rise above the negatives and be a shining example for Jamaican players to emulate.

“We talked about now that he is the focal figure, all of these younger players, these under14s, the players in the Caribbean Cup, they are looking up to you. You are the example, the role model, and we want you back in the squad, back in the team. We want you back playing for Jamaica. But only if you are committed. Only if you are one hundred per cent committed to the cause, which is World Cup 2026,” he stated.

McClaren said he made it clear what is expected and that if he applies himself accordingly, Bailey will be on top of his game with the national team.

Nevertheless, he said it will largely depend on the player himself.

“I went to watch him play against Arsenal and I said to him after, ‘How you play for Aston Villa is how you need to play for Jamaica’.

“That (game) is a perfect example and that is what we want to see. Leon Bailey was great in that game, attacking, defending. He did his job,” he said.

He continued that. “I spoke to all the players and the players wanted him back in, that is for sure. But it does not matter who I call or who plays. They have to perform on the field, that is the key. So the answer will be on the field, as it always is.

“Like every player, they have to get the best out of themselves. It is up to them. We (coaches) are here to help. That is my job also, to help the players perform, give them a game plan, give them the freedom and the boundaries in which to perform and if they do that, we will win football matches.

“But all the players, when they put on a Jamaican shirt they have to be proud of that fact, they have to give one hundred per cent total commitment to the cause. If we get that from everybody, including Leon, we will be fine,” he said.