Soccer: Nelsen confirmed for Jamaica clash

Ryan Nelsen. Photo / Brett Phibbs

In between Arsenal away and Manchester United at home, All Whites captain Ryan Nelsen will fly to New Zealand to lead his country against Jamaica.

New Zealand Football chief executive Grant McKavanagh spoke to the Tottenham defender overnight and confirmed his availability for the fixture at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Wednesday night.

"It shows just how committed Ryan is to representing New Zealand,'' McKavanagh said. "It's a heck of a trip, and we wanted to make sure given his recent run of injury that he was 100 per cent fit and prepared for game.''

Nelsen's whirlwind trip will see him depart for New Zealand after Monday morning's (NZT) North London derby between Spurs and Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, arriving in time for the captain's run on Tuesday evening. He will then fly out immediately after the game to return in time for Tottenham's clash against Manchester United, the club directly above them on the Premier League table, at White Hart Lane the following Monday.

Because the international, the All Whites' last before they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign, is inside a Fifa window Spurs were obliged to release Nelsen for the match, but McKavanagh preferred a communicative approach.

"Given he has just signed for one of the biggest clubs in England and is trying to cement a spot, we wanted to give him time to personally discuss it with his manager rather than just wave the rule book at his employers.''

Nelsen signed for Tottenham, currently third place in the English Premier League, from Blackburn Rovers on the last day of the transfer window in January. He made his debut after coming off the bench during Spurs' 5-0 win over Newcastle earlier in the month, before starting and keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Stevenage in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The draw against the League One outfit was a disappointing result and sees Spurs forced into a replay at White Hart Lane to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition, but Nelsen did impress.

"I thought Ryan was fantastic,'' Tottenham captain Michael Dawson told the club's website. "We changed the formation a little, played myself, Younes [Kaboul] and Ryan [at the back]. He played in the middle and he was outstanding. He won everything in the air, was strong and played really well. He showed all his experience in what was a real test for us against a big, physical team.''

The replay will be played on March 8 (NZT), three days after Tottenham's match against Machester United, ensuring a hectic 10 days for the All Whites captain.