The new Zimbabwe head coach, who is a former SAFA employee, has now explained his first squad selection, which included the surprise recall of former Kaizer Chiefs star Khama Billiat.
The international break is set to get underway next week, with various countries across the continent having announced their teams for the first two matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign.
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Zimbabwe are set to take on Kenya and Cameroon on 6 and 10 September, respectively, and newly appointed manager Michael Nees has explained the process behind his first national team selection, which includes Billiat.
The ex-Mamelodi Sundowns star initially retired from international football back in November 2021.
However, the Yadah FC player announced his willingness to return to national team football this week amid his impressive performances in the Zimbabwean top flight, where he has scored 10 goals already this season.
It did not take long for the Zimbabwe Football Federation to confirm his inclusion for the upcoming international break, with new boss Nees having since explained how his squad selection decision came about.
Speaking on The Couch on ZTN Prime, the German tactician, who formerly worked as a SAFA education officer, said: "I phoned about 25 players based outside. A few of them said they're retired [from international football], but I wanted to ask what went wrong, and if they're still interested.
"I then looked at who is more skilled and took out those who are injured, like Divine Lunga.
"I also looked on the position each player plays, and if you put all the players – locally and foreign-based – you can end up having a lot of No. 9s. You can't go with five players from that position in international games.
"So you try to balance each position. That was the basic thinking [behind his selection], so that they could fit in each other.
"We have a very motivated striker in England, who has no club at the moment. He wanted to come for the games, but I told him there was no chance for him if he is without a club.
"The reason behind that is you can't go 100% into a challenge because if you get injured, the chances of getting a new team are ruined."
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