With two senior caps already under his belt, Golden Jaguars U20 captain and current Fruta Conquerors winger Nicholas MacArthur has declared that his objective is to solidify his position and place within the Men’s Senior Programme.
This was disclosed during an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport. According to MacArthur, 18, while he has envisioned captaining the senior programme in the same manner as Sam Cox, his intention is to become a major player for the team in the foreseeable future.
He disclosed, “While I did have the dream of captaining Guyana at the senior level, I want to be a part of the national team as a major player. Everything is about determination, hard work and discipline. From the major age groups, they have coaches looking at you and I have progressed from them and I have played for the senior team twice and I want to remain there. That is my intention to stay, even if they need me at the junior levels I am willing but I was to focus on the senior team and solidify myself there.”
MacArthur acquired his first taste of senior football following appearances against Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica. He has also featured three times for the U17 setup, and has made seven appearances with the U20 program.
Asked if he possesses the necessary talents to succeed at this level, MacArthur declared, “Yes I believe so, I know I have the talents. I have speed, agility, control, tactical awareness and communication plus you have to dedicate yourself to the game and I do that. I just have to keep training, working hard and putting my best foot forward.”
He disclosed that while his reign as national U20 captain does aid his chances in the senior ranks, performance is critical to selection. MacArthur stated, “Everything is about performance, while anyone can be the captain, performance is everything. You have to be performing to get to the higher level while keeping the discipline and the dedication to want to go higher.”
Asked about the importance of emerging players such as himself in the senior setup, MacArthur said, “To me it’s a good idea and important and it would give most of the local players the view that they can showcase their skills and abilities because we know that many of them never played at that level. My presence in the team serves as an inspiration to other young players.”
He revealed that though his training schedule has been affected by the current pandemic, a disciplined weekly approach to training is being utilised to ensure he remains in decent shape. MacArthur revealed, “I wake up early in the morning and do my personal training from Monday to Friday. It lasts for an hour and half and each day is different exercises. Some days it is strength training, other days its speed work and some days its tactical drills.”
MacArthur further revealed that he is hopeful that the situation will end, adding, “I don’t know when was the last time I had a chance to play and I miss the field and the sport very much and wish things could change quickly.”
