Football: All Whites coach confident key Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood will be available

All Whites coach Darren Bazeley is confident that Chris Wood will feature in games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland later this month, despite being currently out of action with a hamstring injury.

After scoring twice in a 2-2 draw with Luton on October 21, the Nottingham Forest striker suffered the strain ahead of a trip to Liverpool the following week and hasn’t played since.

But the 31-year-old was named on Monday in the New Zealand squad and Bazeley is positive he will make the trip.

“He has progressed really well, it was always this sort of timeframe,” Bazeley told the Herald. “He is really positive; the club is really positive that he is heading in the right direction to be fit. He thinks he will be fine to be there, to be involved, though he will be on limited minutes.

“Right now he is definitely coming, flights and everything are booked. He is doing a lot of running and getting through that without any pain or discomfort.”

According to Bazeley, Forest are comfortable with the situation, believing it will help him with his eventual Premier League return. The likely scenario will see Wood come off the bench against Greece in Athens on November 18 (NZT), before a possible start in Dublin four days later.

“Woodsy is desperate to be involved as always but the main thing is that we wouldn’t risk him,” said Bazeley. “If we get close to the game and he is not right, then we won’t use him.”

Midfielder Sarpreet Singh is the other notable inclusion with a recent injury. He featured in the DPR Congo clash last month – his first All Whites match since January 2022 – but missed the subsequent Socceroos’ game in London after tweaking his hamstring.

“Sarpreet is back training,” said Bazeley. “He is pain-free. He hasn’t played for his club but he is really confident. He told me ‘I want to play’, which is great.”

However fellow midfielder Ryan Thomas, who hasn’t been seen in the silver fern since November 2019, will extend his absence until next year. “He will be back at some stage – I’m sure of that but he is not ready to take on extra loading at the moment,” said Bazeley.

All Whites November internationals squad

Goalkeepers:

Max Crocombe (2 caps) Burton Albion FC, England

Alex Paulsen (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix,

Michael Woud (5 caps) Ventforet Kofu, Japan

Defenders:

Tyler Bindon (2 caps) Reading FC

Michael Boxall (45 caps) Minnesota United, USA

Liberato Cacace (17 caps) Empoli FC, Italy

Tim Payne (33 caps) Wellington Phoenix

Nando Pijnaker (14 caps) Sligo Rovers, Ireland

Tommy Smith (50 caps) MK Dons, England

Finn Surman (0 caps) Wellington Phoenix

Dalton Wilkins (2 caps) Kolding IF, Denmark

Midfielders:

Joe Bell (15 caps) Viking FK, Norway

Matthew Garbett (16 caps) NAC Breda, Netherlands

Clayton Lewis (24 caps) Macarthur FC, Australia

Callum McCowatt (14 caps) Silkeborg IF, Denmark

Sarpreet Singh (10 caps) FC Hansa Rostock, Germany

Marko Stamenic (16 caps) FK Crvena zvezda / Red Star Belgrade, Serbia

Forwards:

Joe Champness (8 caps) Adanaspor, Turkey

Alex Greive (11 caps) St Mirren FC, Scotland

Eli Just (18 caps) AC Horsens, Denmark

Max Mata (6 caps) Shrewsbury Town, England

Ben Waine (10 caps) Plymouth Argyle, England

Chris Wood (72 caps) Nottingham Forest, England

Greece v All Whites

18 November at 6am [NZT] (KO TBC) Georgios Kamaras Stadium, Athens, Greece

Republic of Ireland v All Whites

22 November at 8:45am [NZT] Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland.

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics’, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.