'A big addition to the team' - Canada's Jesse Marsch confirms recruitment of dual-national Daniel Jebbison

Jesse Marsch expects highly-rated dual-national Daniel Jebbison to be part of Canada’s squad moving forward, as the Bournemouth forward works through the process of committing his international future to Les Rouges, the head coach confirmed to GOAL.

"We think that Daniel will be a big addition to the team," Marsch told GOAL via email. "He has so many of the qualities that fit the way we are trying to play. He is also still young and has so much room to continue to grow and improve."

A former England youth international, the 21-year-old was born in Oakville, Ontario, and is also eligible to represent England and Jamaica through his parents.

Jebbison is currently filing his one-time FIFA switch and is expected to be available for selection once finalized. He has been named to Canada’s preliminary Nations League Finals roster and, according to reports, is expected to add depth to the team's talented striker pool, which includes Jonathan David and Cyle Larin.

Jebbison spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship side Watford, but has since returned to the Cherries to become a regular off the bench with the club.

He scored two goals in the FA Cup, but has not found the back of the net in the Premier League in his eight appearances under manager Andoni Iraola in domestic action. On Saturday, Marsch attended Bournemouth's 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton, presumably to watch Jebbison in person.

Since Marsch took over last May, Jebbison will be the third highly-rated dual-national to be recruited to Les Rouges, following the likes of Croatian-Canadian midfielder Niko Sigur, and recent commitment, Nigerian-Canadian forward Prince David.

Jebbison last represented the Three Lions in May 2023 at the U-20 FIFA World Cup. Prior, he was a part of the England team that won the 2022 U-19 Championship, where he scored one goal during the Group Stage of the competition.

In order to secure Jebbison's commitment, Marsch reportedly met with him multiple times, where he stressed the urgency of building the program ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Marsch and his staff also shared a video with Jebbison, highlighting the strengths of the Les Rouges roster, and where he fit in. They showed clips of Jebbison in games and shared how he would transition into very similar roles with Canada.

The federation and Marsch also had three of their top stars record specific video messages to send to Jebbison, asking for him to commit to the program, with Alphonso Davies, Jonathan David and Alistair Johnston all reaching out.

During the 2023-24 season, Jebbison was limited to just 20 minutes of competitive action due to a blood clot. This past summer, he signed a four-year deal with Bournemouth.

Canada will compete in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals this March, where they will take on Mexico at SoFi Stadium for a berth into the championship match of the continental competition.

Alex Labidou contributed reporting to this story.