Ricki Herbert will consider a number of options before deciding who will replace captain and crucial central defender Ryan Nelsen in his All Whites team for next month's Confederations Cup in South Africa.
New Zealand's hopes were dealt a crushing blow yesterday when the Blackburn Rovers captain said he was resigned to missing the tournament after scans revealed a calf injury which will sideline him from Sunday's final-round English Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion and for four to six weeks after that.
"Ryan was absolutely gutted when he called me," said Herbert. "He had just received the results. I said it was important he takes the prescribed time out and then wraps himself in cotton wool so he will be ready for the World Cup game in October."
Herbert and his assistant coach Brian Turner are keen to name a replacement later today.
And they might not make it a one-for-one replacement.
Asked whether recently-retired international and Auckland City's player of the year and captain Ivan Vicelich was an option, Herbert said he was not dismissing anything.
The feeling was that, if asked, Vicelich would consider a call up.
Ben Sigmund, the natural choice to partner Nelsen in a first team selection, is on the comeback trail after a recent operation but Herbert is convinced he will be ready after warm-up matches in Tanzania and Botswana.
That would almost certainly mean being reunited with Andy Boyens. As a rookie central pairing in a friendly against Wales a couple of years ago, they came up trumps.
Herbert admitted they could look elsewhere, but feels younger players like Michael Boxall and Tim Myers, while seen as future internationals, could be out of their depth.
And while there might be some thought to recalling other former internationals, including Che Bunce and Riki van Steeden, that is more likely to be seen as a step back.
Given they have UK-based Steven Old as cover, Herbert and Turner might look further down the list and go for a player who was unlucky to miss selection. Craig Henderson, playing in the US, springs to mind as he could do a decent job on either side of the pitch, as does Cole Peverley.
"We have to make a decision around the type of player we want," said Herbert. "The most disappointing thing at this stage is that we are not going to get to see Ryan and Ben playing together."
Soccer: Search on to replace Nelsen
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