Trinidad and Tobago head coach Leo Beenhakker is all set to return home on Friday to begin his duties with the Senior National Teeam ahead of next month’s 2006 World Cup Qualifier against Panama.
Beenhakker confirmed that he will have his first session with a the local squad on Monday at the Larry Gomes Stadium and he expressed a huge amount of enthusiasm over his first outing, saying also that he was able to put several arrangements in place over the last few weeks.
“Things have gone pretty well. Of course a lot of the process will take place in Trinidad but I have been able to get a lot of things sorted out here with the preparation of training programmes for the matches in June which for all of us is the main picture,” Beenhakker told TTFF Media from Holland on Tuesday.
“I was able to visit and see some of the players in England as well as get assessments on some of the others. I saw young Kenwyne Jones and Andre Boucard at Peterborough and my assistants saw the other guys at Wrexham. All in all I was pleased with the way things went and the main jobs starts back in Trinidad on Monday.
“We have prepared and when I return with the two assistants on Friday we will start the job with a lot of ambition and passion and we will ensure that the players go about this with the same feeling and then all of the country will follow with us,” Beenhakker ended.
Beenhakker confirmed that he will contact former Dutch player Jan Wouters to get further information on the physical state of Glasgow Rangers defender Marvin Andrews before he considers him for National Team selection. He also mentioned that he should be in touch with Russell Latapy this week.
Andrews made a return to action, playing with a damaged cruciate ligament in Rangers’ 2-1 loss to Celtic on Sunday and Beenhakker, though delighted with Andrews being able to take the pitch, said he would be talking to Wouters, who is a Rangers first team coach, to get an assessment of Andrews’ fitness.
But Rangers have also expressed concern over Andrews’ involvement with the T&T team if he does get called for the June 4 and June 8 World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Mexico, as well as the CONCACAF Gold Cup from July 6 during which time Rangers will also be on a preseason tour.
"I was surprised but pleased to hear that Marvin played almost all the game for Rangers on Sunday. This week I will contact Jan Wouters [first team coach], who played for me with Holland, to find out about his fitness. "It could depend how much Marvin plays for Rangers between now and the end of the season," Beenhakker said in Scotland.
“It’s no secret that he is a firm believer and he deserves full credit for taking the field but obviously there’s more to it than just that game on Sunday,” the former Dutch national team coach said.
Andrews was in high spirits on Tuesday but said he will be making his first statement since the injury this Thursday.
"Marvin showed on Sunday that he can handle it. Unless something untoward happens, he is available to me again. Some people have criticised the big fellow for not getting an operation but it's his choice and you have to applaud his faith,” Rangers boss Alex Mcleish said.