Derby County winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing says his international call-up to play for the Guatemala national team in this year's Gold Cup is 'a dream come true.'
The 31-year-old qualifies to play for the side through his late Nan and Mother, who were both born in Guatemala, and he will join up with the national side for the first time this week as they prepare for their Gold Cup campaign to get underway.
Speaking to RamsTV prior to flying out to Guatemala at the weekend, Mendez-Laing says he's incredibly excited for a new challenge at this stage in his career.
On the international call-up...
It's very exciting, especially for myself and my family. We were very close with my Nan, who passed away last year. She was born there and my mother was born there too so to represent my country in the Gold Cup is quite a big thing for us.
On how long a potential call-up has been on the radar...
It was towards the end of last season. There was a bit of talk about Jamaica too and obviously Guatemala, but Guatemala pursued it. The paperwork was a little bit of an issue but it started at the back end of the season and it started to really pick up during the summer.
On the chance to play international football...
It's a dream for me. For everybody I think it is. It's quite late in my career now but to go and play in these tournaments and to try and do something great for Guatemala is great.
On linking up with the rest of the squad...
There's a lot of excitement. It's going to be different. I've had chats with the manager about the styles of play and spoken with a few players so it's an exciting adventure and I can't wait to get going.
On his summer plans...
To be fair, our holidays are all done now so it doesn't change too much. I'll obviously return to pre-season a bit later than the rest of the lads but I'll be getting games under my belt, which is a plus. I don't think my partner is complaining as she gets a nice little holiday out to America!
On Paul Warne's thoughts...
He was great about it, he was buzzing for me. He wished me the best of luck, as did Matt Hamshaw. He's completely fine with it and he just told me to look after myself and keep in touch with him and keep him updated.
On how proud his family are...
The family are buzzing for me. I know my Nan would be over the moon right now and that's something that's really special to me.
