England-based soccer defender Danny Hay may yet have a future in the New Zealand team under coach Ken Dugdale.
Hay, who made a brief first-team debut for the British club Leeds United against Barcelona in a European Champions League match last week, has been on the outer with Dugdale since he withdrew from the Confederations Cup buildup last year.
However, Dugdale will check on his European-based players during a six-week trip to England starting on October 9, and he and Hay could mend their fences then.
The others Dugdale will cast his eye over are David Rayner (Newcastle), Darren Young, Allan Pearce, Leo Bertos, David Mulligan and Jeremy Christie (Barnsley), Scott Smith (Woking), Chris Killen (Wrexham), Jason Batty (Grimsby) and Jim Bannatyne ("somewhere in London").
"It will be a good chance to see where Danny is at," Dugdale said.
"It would be silly not to use him if he's about, but he's got to make a firm commitment."
Dugdale was encouraged by the performances of his defence in recent matches, particularly the emergence of Ryan Nelsen, and is not prepared to upset established combinations for a fleeting performance by Hay.
Besides checking on the players' form and availability, Dugdale hopes to forge stronger relationships with the clubs.
New Zealand already has a strong link with Barnsley, but that could be strained a little with Dugdale hoping to get the players released for the New Zealand under-20s World Cup Oceania qualifiers in New Caledonia in February.
- NZPA
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