Jamaica: Steve McClaren resigns from his position as coach after missing direct qualification for the World Cup

The words conceal a strong jab at McLaren’s professional pride.

He left Manchester United in the summer of 2024, where he was assistant coach to Erik Ten Hag, and the allure of signing with Jamaica was the route he opened to the World Cup, given that the three current CONCACAF powerhouses – the USA, Mexico and Canada – all automatically qualified for next year’s tournament as co-hosts.

McLaren vowed he would “come back” after England’s struggles. On the international scene, this was supposed to be the case.

Jamaica has never had a better opportunity to emulate the 1998 team of Robbie Earle, Fitzroy Simpson and Frank Sinclair by reaching the World Cup for the second time in its history.

It wasn’t easy.

To begin with, failed efforts to bring Mason Greenwood into the fold were initially delayed by a documentation issue, and after the former Manchester United striker was granted citizenship in August, he rejected a call-up the following month, saying he was not ready to commit to Jamaica.

Over the past week, McLaren have been sweating the availability of another UK-born player, Brentford defender Rico Henry, who was only cleared to make his debut in Thursday’s draw with Trinidad and Tobago in the hours before the match.

Michail Antonio was also expected to be part of his squad, but the former West Ham striker has not played a competitive game since he featured for Jamaica in the Gold Cup campaign in the summer, which was his return from a horrific car accident six months ago.

Then there is being part of a confederation where conditions can change from extreme cold and snow to extreme heat in the flight space.

“These 18 months have been tough, really tough,” McLaren said. “I had to learn lessons very quickly.

“The CONCACAF football experience was unique for me. Caribbean football is different from Central American football, which is different from North American football. I’ve never experienced that before.”