Marco Rojas has welcomed the added competition for places Melbourne Victory teammate Jai Ingham brings to the All Whites.
Rojas and Ingham are in camp with New Zealand ahead of back-to-back 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Fiji.
It is the first time Ingham has been selected for international duty, while Rojas has made 30 appearances for the Kiwis.
“We all know we need to keep performing but that’s part and parcel of being a professional footballer,” Rojas said.
“Sometimes you can live off what you’ve done in the past, but not often. It keeps us on our toes and is a really exciting point for us as a team.”
Australian-born Ingham is set to make his international debut for New Zealand after qualifying through his Kiwi mother.
“We’ve got a good group of boys here and they’ve helped him settle in,” Rojas said of Ingham.
“Hopefully, you’ll see what kind of player he is over the next couple of games.
“I was there whenever he had questions to ask about New Zealand, our team and what we were doing, then he and his family made the final decision.
“I think he made the right decision and I’m happy that he’s here with us.”
New Zealand is aiming to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2010, with its games against Fiji on Saturday and Tuesday of high importance.
“We know if we play near to our best football we should be able to win these games,” Rojas said.
“It’s just about working hard on the training pitch and making sure we put on our best performance.”
