All Whites v Gambia: Jamie Searle, Francis De Vries named for NZ debut in November friendly

Goalkeeper Jamie Searle and defender Francis De Vries have been called into the All Whites squad for possible debuts in the November friendly against The Gambia.

Originally from Whakatane, Searle, 20, is currently signed with Championship side Swansea City and was part of the OlyWhites squad that contest the Tokyo Olympics tournament this year.

Christchurch-born De Vries, 26, has played professionally in the United States and Sweden, where he plies his trade for IFK Värnamo in the second tier.

Chicago Fire forward Elliot Collier has also been added to the squad that defeated Curacao and Bahrain last month.

"It's great we are able to get together again so quickly, after two good performances last month," says coach Danny Hay. "We need to be playing games to develop as a team, especially after such a long break prior to October, so we want to take every opportunity we can.

"These games will allow us to look at a few new players who weren’t part of the last window, as we continue to build towards FIFA World Cup qualifiers next year."

Burnley striker Chris Wood returns to lead the side, with veteran Winston Reid unavailable to play, but travelling to Abu Dhabi as off-field mentor.

Players are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to train and play in Abu Dhabi, and NZ Football have warned all players in contention their future selection depends on vaccination.

NZ and Australia-based players were not considered, due to travel restrictions.  

New Zealand will face The Gambia on November 17 (NZ time), with another fixture to be confirmed for November 13.

All Whites: Stefan Marinovic, Jamie Searle, Michael Woud, Michael Boxall, Liberato Cacace, Francis De Vries, Kelvin Kalua, Niko Kirwan, Nando Pijnaker, Tommy Smith, Bill Tuiloma, Joe Bell, Matthew Garbett, Sarpreet Singh, Marko Stamenic, Joseph Champness, Elliot Collier, Andre de Jong, Elijah Just, Callum McCowatt, Chris Wood