"He is good enough and I hope he gets an opportunity to show what he can do," says Emblen. "He can cause any defender in the world problems with his size, pace and power. Not many will enjoy playing against him. He's got the height and stature, he's good in the air and has a powerful shot off both feet."
Emblen has followed Wood's career closely, since first playing against him in an ASB Premiership game almost a decade ago.
"I was playing at the back for Waitakere and there was this big, strong kid up front for Waikato FC," recalls Emblen. "He was a handful even back then. A man from a very young age."
Wood has served a lengthy apprenticeship in the lower tiers of English football and been a success at almost every club he's played at. After being signed by West Bromwich Albion as a teenager, his career took off with Brighton, scoring eight times in 22 starts as the Seagulls soared to the League One title. The good times continued at Birmingham (nine in 13), Bristol City (three in 12) and Millwall (11 in 18).
"All the moves and loan spells have been the making of him," says Emblen. "It's not easy to constantly prove yourself in new environments, especially as a striker. He's never been in a comfort zone, which has made him the man and the player he is today. He's a strong character who is always looking to improve."
It's difficult to recall a Kiwi forward striker performing so consistently in English football. Chris Killen hardly played at Oldham and didn't start for Manchester City, and Rory Fallon managed 17 league goals across three seasons in the Championship for Plymouth.
Outside the statistics, there have been moments that have stood out. One was late last season for Bristol City against Nottingham Forest, with both under threat of relegation. Bristol won a late penalty and despite the presence of many hardened professionals, the ball was handed to the teenage striker on loan who converted for a crucial win.
A perfect hat-trick - left foot, right foot, header - for Birmingham against Millwall was also memorable, as was a Europa League goal for the Blues, the first in European competition by a Kiwi since Wynton Rufer's exploits at Werder Bremen.
He started brilliantly at Leicester, scoring nine goals in his first 11 matches. He has been less prominent this season, with only six starts, but underlined his ability with a stunning strike against Burnley. That match at Turf Moor was between the league's top two teams in the Championship and Wood's goal sealed a vital 2-0 win.
"He worked hard to close down, showed some physical presence by bumping the defender off the ball, the pace to make up yardage and then the blasted right-foot finish."
Wood appeared in the Premier League as a 17-year-old, coming off the bench twice for West Brom at the end of their doomed 2008-09 season. The Baggies went back up a season later but Wood didn't figure, instead spending time out on loan.
"He is much more ready than before," says Emblen. "It's still all up to him - and there are things he needs to improve - but he is well suited to the English game and has all the ingredients to succeed."
The gulf between the top two divisions in England is large. Wood's current team-mate David Nugent was good enough to represent England while at Preston North End in 2007 (the first non-top flight outfielder to be picked for England since 1999) but struggled to make an impact in the Premier League.
Similarly, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake scored a ton of goals to take Wolves into the top flight, but couldn't reproduce that form among the elite.
"It's still early in my career and I know I have a lot more to give and a lot more to achieve in my career," Wood told the Herald on Sunday last year. "Sometimes I sit back and reflect on what I have done but I also have dreams and ambitions for the future. Hopefully I can keep progressing and become a big name like Ryan [Nelsen], Winston [Reid], Wynton Rufer and all those players who have done it in the past."
