Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden took part in his first training session with the Jamaica national team on Monday.
The Chelmsford-born midfielder officially switched his international allegiance after representing England at youth level. He has been called up into Steve McClaren’s Jamaica squad following the change and pictured training with his new international teammates at the Sabina Park in Kingston.
Hayden remains contracted to Newcastle until 2026 but hasn’t appeared for the first team since 2021, spending the last two seasons on loan at Norwich City, Standard Liege and Queens Park Rangers respectively. The 29-year-old has been omitted from The Magpies’ 25-man Premier League squad and has training away from the first team with the club looking to reach an agreement to allow him to leave.
Last month, Hayden made a surprise appearance for Newcastle Under-21s in the National League Cup against Halifax Town. Hayden’s last appearance for Newcastle came in a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City at St James’ Park in December 2021. That is likely to be his 171st and final appearance for the club.
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But Hayden could get his first taste of senior football of the 2024-25 season and at international level in Jamaica’s upcoming CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final double-header against the United States on Friday (1am kick-off GMT) and next Tuesday (1am kick-off GMT).
The Reggae Boyz are also hoping to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
On Hayden’s inclusion in the squad, McClaren told The Gleaner: “There is Isaac Hayden, who I think the JFF [Jamaica Football Federation] had been chasing for quite some time. I’ve had two or three calls with him since I took the job.
“He is desperate to play because he is in that stage in his career where he needs to kick on, and this is one of the ways that he can. He is a welcome addition to our squad, in terms of a genuine number six who has played at the highest level in that position.”
While Hayden has been handed an opportunity on the international stage, he will still need to resolve his future at club level in order to get back to playing on a regular basis once again. Newcastle will look to offload the midfielder once again in January should they be unable to reach an agreement to cancel his contract.
