Yorke, King shortlisted for T&T head coaching job

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):

Former Manchester United and Trinidadian forward Dwight Yorke and interim head coach Derek King are among five coaches who have been shortlisted for the Soca Warriors’ head coaching job.

The 52 year-old Yorke, who was most recently in charge of Australian A-League club Macarthur FC, played 74 games for T&T between 1989 and 2009.

Yorke, the frontrunner for the job, also had stints with Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Sunderland.

Meanwhile, King, who was appointed interim coach in August following the sacking of Angus Eve, is also in the running for the post.

However, under King’s guidance the Soca Warriors endured a miserable Concacaf Nations League campaign where they managed just one win, a 3-1 victory over Cuba.

President of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), Kieron Edwards, recently revealed that the five-person shortlist was narrowed down from over 400 candidates ranging from North, Central, and South America, and Europe.

The successful candidate is expected to be named at the end of the month.

“I want to assure you that both Dwight Yorke and Derek King are two of the five that we’re looking at,” Edwards told Guardian Media Sports while pointing to the work King did in the last two FIFA windows, especially this last window.

“We know that the first window was tough for him to instil his idea in the guys, but we saw a glimpse of it in the Honduras game, during the first 30 minutes or even the first half.

“I think Derek has proven himself worthy for the position and, of course, Dwight is there and thereabout, and there are a few others who I would not name at this time.

“I think those two are names that the country is expecting to be there. So, I am allowing that to happen, plus we’re working with agents and managers of other coaches right now to have some discussions, and, hopefully by the end of the weekend, we can conclude those discussions,” he added.