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All Whites coach Darren Bazeley is excited to be able to call on the services of an English Premier League prospect for next month’s friendlies against DR Congo and Australia.
Fulham midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias has accepted a call-up for the matches in Spain and England and Bazeley confirmed he would likely be given his debut at some stage during the October international window.
The 19-year-old was born in Lower Hutt, but is also eligible to play international football for Brazil and Portugal through his family, and for England through his time spent living there.
New Zealand is the country that has shown the most interest in his services to date, however, and Bazeley is hopeful next month’s matches will mark the start of a long association with his country of birth.
“He’s a really good footballer,” Bazeley said of Dibley-Dias, who has made it as far as an EPL bench on two occasions, but is still waiting for his Fulham first-team debut.
Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Matt Dibley-Dias has recently signed a contract extension at English Premier League club Fulham
“He looks pretty flexible positionally. Technically, he’s really good. He takes set pieces, he’s got some vision, he’s got an eye for goal and he’s pretty competitive as well.
“From everything we’ve seen, he looks to be a good professional footballer.
“It’s awesome that he’s coming into camp and he’s going to play for New Zealand.
“Yes, he does still have options, but that can be said for a lot of players.
“Our job now is to show him how we work, show him how we play, and hopefully he feels really a part of that and has those connections that keep him coming back.”
Dibley-Dias has been on NZ Football’s radar since the 2021 FIFA Under-20 World Cup cycle, though that tournament ultimately never took place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was wanted by Bazeley for this year’s U-20 World Cup in Argentina in May and June, but opted to focus on pushing his case at Fulham in the final weeks of the 2022-23 EPL season, earning a spot on the bench for the final match of their season.
He made the bench again for Fulham’s 2023-24 season opener and has been captain of their under-21 team in Premier League 2 and the English Football League Trophy, recently signing a new contract that will keep him at the London club until 2027.
In an article on Fulham’s website, Dibley-Dias said the forthcoming All Whites matches would be “a great opportunity for me to play against senior level players and can help give me a platform to perform against first team opponents”.
“Hopefully it will help open more doors for me and I’m just looking forward to seeing what it’s like.”
Bazeley felt Dibley-Dias’ recent contract extension had been a big factor in him accepting his first All Whites call-up, as was the fact that he will remain eligible for other countries until he plays a competitive match for the All Whites once older than 21, or four such matches while aged under 21.
“Every time an international window has come around, it has been an opportunity for him to train with the first team, because they lose lots of players for that period, so he’s been using the professional windows for that, to further his career at Fulham, which is awesome,” Bazeley said.
“Now he has signed a new contract, so that’s not necessarily so much of an issue for him right now – he’s got the stability of a contract.
“The next stage is to make the first team and hopefully now, if we can get him playing international football, he can pick up the pace of that and it will help push him towards Fulham’s first team.
“If he can show that he can compete at this level, I’m sure they will be watching as well.”
If Dibley-Dias were to make his EPL debut, he would become the seventh New Zealander to play in the world’s most prestigious football competition, after Lee Norfolk, Danny Hay, Ryan Nelsen, Simon Elliott – who also played for Fulham, and is currently one of Bazeley’s assistant coaches – Winston Reid and Chris Wood, currently playing there for Nottingham Forest.
Dibley-Dias has largely played as a No 6 at the base of a midfield trio for the Fulham under-21s this season, a role Joe Bell occupies for the All Whites, though he could play further forward as a No 8, like Matt Garbett and Marko Stamenic have in New Zealand’s recent matches.
The full All Whites squad for October’s friendlies is expected to be announced next week, with Wood in line to play his first matches this year after being absent due to injury in March and June, and Sarpreet Singh set to be involved for the first time since January 2022.
Former Football Ferns coach Tony Readings was announced this week as a full-time assistant to Bazeley for the 2026 World Cup cycle. He will be joined by Elliott, who will remain a part-time assistant based in California, where he is director of coaching at Davis Legacy Soccer Club.
Wellington Phoenix head of youth development Rory Fallon is set to no longer be involved in the immediate future, though Bazeley was hopeful of finding ways for him to contribute as a position coach down the line. Glen Moss remains the first-choice goalkeeping coach and talks are ongoing with A-League Men club Macarthur FC, where he holds the same role, about his availability.
All Whites friendlies, including the two in October and the two to follow against Greece and the Republic of Ireland in November, are set to be broadcast on the Fifa+ digital platform going forward, under a new deal announced by NZ Football on Friday, which also includes Football Ferns friendlies and the men’s and women’s National League Championships, starting this weekend.
All Whites – upcoming fixtures (NZT)
Saturday, October 14, 5am: v Democratic Republic of the Congo; Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain
Wednesday, October 18, 7.45am: v Australia; Gtech Community Stadium, London, England
Saturday, November 18, 6am: v Greece; OPAP Arena, Athens, Greece
Wednesday, November 22, 8:45am: v Republic of Ireland; Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
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