ALTHOUGH Steve McClaren is just a few months in the job, Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) President Michael Ricketts says the new Reggae Boyz head coach has already made a significant impression as he seeks to qualify the team to the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

At the end of July, former England Manager McClaren left his role as first team coach of Manchester United to take charge of the national senior men’s team. He replaced Icelander Heimir Hallgrimsson who resigned in June after almost two years in the post.

McClaren’s first game in charge was a shock goalless draw against Cuba at the National Stadium on September 6. However, he got his first win following a 2-1 victory over Honduras four days later, to put Jamaica on top in their group in the Concacaf Nations League A.

Since taking office as JFF president in 2017 Ricketts has worked with four different head coaches including Hallgrimsson, Theodore Whitmore and Paul Hall.

However, Ricketts says working with the recently appointed McClaren has been a joy due to his communication skills.

“I think that Coach McClaren has such a warm personality. He’s so easy to talk to; you can raise any topic and have a discussion with him. The moment he took the job, he set up a WhatsApp group — which means we talk almost everyday and he brings us up to date with what’s happening technically. And, of course, the JFF keeps him abreast of everything he needs to know,” Ricketts told the Observer.

“We have a very excellent relationship and we’re just now hopeful that will translate to success on the field and be able to get to the World Cup, which is the big picture.”

Prior to his appointing a new coach, the JFF president said a key requirement for the head coach would be helping to educate local coaches — and Ricketts says progress is already being made.

“As it is now, we have maybe five Concacaf A-licensed coaches here: [Rudolph] Speid would have been the first, then Merron [Gordon], then [Andrew] Peart, then Vassell [Reynolds], and others. We’re on the right track from a technical perspective. What we must ensure is that these young coaches are exposed at the highest level,” he said.

“It’s very important that we don’t stagnate our young coaches but we must expose them at the highest level — and coach McClaren is very aware of that and he’s doing exactly what we would have discussed in this regard.”

Although his main objective is to qualify for the next World Cup, McClaren, who has overseen top flight teams in England, Germany and the Netherlands, says developing local players and coaches is part of his long-term goals.

“The key thing is developing players on this island and developing young players, and that’s also in mind in terms of medium to long term. Our vision is 2026 but the JFF’s vision should be not just 2026, but 2030, 2034 — so we need to improve the players,” said McClaren.

“There’s been tremendous progress over the last three years in terms of coaching development, and you can see that with the player development. And we want these players more experienced in Europe, the US, or wherever around the world to play at a high level of football so, in terms of our vision, we’re short term but in the medium to long term it’s about development of players.”

McClaren will return to the technical area on Thursday when the Reggae Boyz visit Nicaragua. He will then have his second home game as they entertain Honduras on October 14 at the National Stadium. The Jamaicans are seeking to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Nations League where they will play one of the top four-ranked teams in the region: USA, Mexico, Canada or Panama.