Trinidad and Tobago international defender and 2006 World Cup player Brent Sancho has endured a rough start to the New Year after being blanked by club and country in his effort to return to the playing field.
Sancho, who did not get an extension to his one month deal with England League One club, Millwall, last week, offered to pay his own way back to Trinidad to train with the "Soca Warriors" in preparation for their February 6 friendly against Guadeloupe at the Queen's Park Oval.
But assistant national coach Anton Corneal, who will take the team into the friendly before handing over to Colombian boss Francisco Maturana, declined his request to be added to a 40-member training squad.
Sancho is afraid that his sizeable profile within the Football Players Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT) and a bonus dispute with the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (T&TFF) might have made him a less attractive proposition for the local administration than some of his World Cup teammates.
"I have been around Trinidad and Tobago football for a long time," said the dreadlocked defender, who made his international debut nine years ago, "so I am not going to be naive about anything. I'd be extremely surprised if I am recalled to the national team and I think my international career might be over.
"I am heartbroken because playing for Trinidad and Tobago is my biggest joy in football."
Sancho, a free agent, is training with Millwall at present but hopes to land a deal elsewhere soon. He claimed to have received interest from other England League One outfits as well as clubs from Scotland, Cyprus and Israel.
Millwall, according to the defender, are more interested in signing a striker at the moment and wanted to keep their options open during the January transfer window.
Corneal wants to keep his options open too but said that the door was not closed to Sancho or others including Avery John, Chris Birchall and Kelvin Jack and reiterated that the TTFF blacklist was history.
"We haven't turned out backs on anybody," said Corneal. "It is impossible to use everybody so it is a matter of utilising different players at different times You might say our present defence is green but remember these are the players we have turned to for the past year so we need to give them an opportunity."