NEWS
Special praise! LASK player edges out PL regular in national team
A Premier League regular wasn't even called up. Instead, a player who hasn't always featured for LASK has made the squad.
Miguel Freckleton (23) moved to LASK from Scotland (St. Mirren) in the summer. While the centre-back regularly gets playing time for the Linz side, he is not an undisputed starter. In the UEFA Champions League, he has yet to register a single minute on the pitch across four matches.
His call-up to the Jamaica national team is all the more surprising. Freckleton was named in the squad, while veteran Ethan Pinnock (33), who played every minute of the last eight Premier League games for Coventry City, was left out.
This raises questions. Interim manager Rudolph Speid justified the decision with the previous training camp, where Freckleton impressed.
Freckleton impresses
"I thought Miguel Freckleton was outstanding. Ethan Pinnock is a good player, but every time you pick someone, you have to leave someone else out," the head coach was quoted as saying by the "Jamaica Gleaner".
He puts his trust in the younger LASK player: "I think Freckleton is the right man for the left centre-back position right now, we are sticking with him," said the national team coach.
While Pinnock opted out of international duty in October of his own accord, the Premier League defender was not considered for the current camp. Head coach Speid explained his decision citing Freckleton's convincing performances.
