KIWI wonder boy Sarpreet Singh was only 16 when Ernie Merrick brought him down from Auckland to join the Wellington Phoenix.
It has taken three years, but the midfielder is starting to realise the potential that Merrick identified when he was then at the helm of the Phoenix.
Singh has scored two goals in the past three games – including a stinging strike against Perth – and was on Wednesday named in the All Whites squad to take on Canada in a friendly.
But first, he has a date with the Jets and his former mentor on Saturday.
“There is no doubt they have some good up-and-coming players,” Merrick said.
“I signed Sarpreet as a 16 year old from Auckland. He scored a cracker on his starting debut. He is on the way up but he has a way to go yet. They have some good players. Roy Krishna is their top goalscorer, Nathan Burns is a good player, I used to coach Nathan. I know what they are capable of.”
A win for the Jets would all but guarantee second spot and a place in the 2019 Asian Champions League – not that Merrick is looking that far ahead.
“We don’t talk about the Asian Champions League,” Merrrick said. “The only ACL we talk about are injuries. Hopefully, we won’t get any of those. We haven’t talked about anything but finishing in the top four.”
