Isaac Hayden has been sent home from the Concacaf Gold Cup by Jamaica, with a concerning update from Steve McLaren over the former Arsenal, QPR and Norwich City man.
Isaac Hayden’s summer of international football has been curtailed on health grounds.
Newcastle United man hit with ‘stomach cramps and respiratory problems’
McLaren explained the destructive midfielder had been suffering with ‘stomach cramps and respiratory problems’, which accounted for his absence in the warm-up win over British Virgin Islands on June 7.
Hayden has been replaced by Charlton’s Karoy Anderson with departing Everton defender Mason Holgate also sent home.
Pompey loanee Isaac Hayden on Jamaica duty. Pic: Gettyplaceholder image
Pompey loanee Isaac Hayden on Jamaica duty. Pic: Getty | Getty Images
After further investigation, we had to send him home and replaced him with Karoy Anderson.
He (Mason Holgate) picked up a knee injury in the Guatemala (World Cup qualifying) game. The scan showed a medial ligament issue, not a major one, but one that would rule him out for two to three weeks. So, we sent him home and brought in Sue-Lae McCalla.
‘It (a lack of midfield options) has been a problem from the first time I came in. I think we identified Isaac Hayden as an important recruitment, and he has stabilized our midfield.
‘I think long term when we're looking at World Cup qualifiers, and as long as Isaac stays fit, we have that ideal person that glues the team together.
‘When he's not here, we're searching around a little bit for a solution, and at the moment we haven't found that ideal six, for me anyway, that can play that role.
Pompey loanee Isaac Hayden at Fratton Park last season. Pic: Gettyplaceholder image
Pompey loanee Isaac Hayden at Fratton Park last season. Pic: Getty | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
‘People have done a great job in there, and we've tried to help the team also with an inverted fullback to give us a little bit more stability in there. But it is a conundrum, and one that we have to find a solution for.’
Covid issues had previously impacted Pompey loanee
Hayden has previously spoken of his issues with Covid when he was hit by the disease in 2020, with the 30-year-old acknowledging he’d underestimated how hard he would be impacted.
He told talkSPORT: ‘It took me by surprise, to be honest, how badly it affected me. I definitely underestimated it.
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‘I was thinking, “I’m a young and healthy athlete, if I have it I’d be asymptomatic and I’d be fine”.
‘But it was tough; I was in bed for seven to ten days, doing very little and having pretty much every symptom going. It was very difficult.
‘But once I got over the worst of it, the 11th and 12th day I started to do a bit (of training) outside and I built up from there.’
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