Efforts to attract 23-year-old English-born star of Jamaican ancestry, Mr Mason Greenwood, to the Reggae Boyz set-up have attracted headlines for a while.

Jamaica’s senior football team Head Coach Mr Steve McClaren told us recently that the player, who has operated with great success in France thus far this season, remains part of the Reggae Boyz plans, despite incomplete paperwork.

Readers may recall that Mr Greenwood did play once for England as a substitute before a run-in with the law triggered serious doubts about his future as an England player.

Obviously, the presence of Mr Greenwood would strengthen Jamaica’s chances of making it to next year’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

However, it seems clear that the hoped-for switch of allegiance is by no means cut and dried.

Said Mr McClaren: “We are still on one document to be signed and my indications are that Mason wants to play for Jamaica. We respect the family’s decision at the present moment; it is in their hands and that is what we are waiting for…”

That apart, we are relieved at news that another English-born footballer, Mr Michail Antonio, who has represented Jamaica with distinction, is recovering after suffering a lower-limb fracture in a motor vehicle crash late last year.

We are now hearing from the head coach that Mr Antonio, a striker who has scored five goals in 23 appearances for Jamaica, may well be wearing national colours again later this year. We wish him well.

Among the more pleasing aspects of Jamaican football for close to three decades has been the relatively smooth integration of players from the Diaspora — particularly Britain — in our national team.

It’s beyond question that overseas-born players have added great value to Jamaica’s football on the international stage.

Yet, players born and nurtured in Jamaica who ply their trade abroad as well as locally remain central to the national programme and in the push to qualify for what we all hope will be our second senior men’s FIFA World Cup, come next year. That’s following the trip to France way back in 1998.

All of which means the local authority for football, the Jamaica Football Federation, has among its prime responsibilities, provision of exposure to overseas competition for our local players.

Hence the importance of the two-match friendly series against visiting Trinidad and Tobago which began Thursday night, with a 1-0 victory for the Jamaicans in Montego Bay.

With the games being played outside of an international FIFA window, most overseas professionals are not available, which means both teams are relying heavily on local-based talent.

The second game is scheduled for Sunday at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex in St Andrew.

While winning and developing a winning habit are always important, we agree with Mr McClaren that in this case, winning is not “imperative”. We agree that what’s important is for players to showcase their abilities individually and as part of a cohesive unit.

Finally, as we have said here previously, expensive though it undoubtedly is, Caribbean nations need far more of this type of competition among themselves, for the greater good of regional football.