Ryan Nelsen is unhappy at not being able to play for New Zealand this summer.
Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Nelsen has hit out at manager Mark Hughes for blocking his plans to play for New Zealand this summer.The powerful centre half arrived at Ewood Park in the January transfer window and quickly established himself as a mainstay of the Rovers rearguard.
Nelsen is expected to pledge his future to Rovers in the summer, with talks set to yield a long-term deal, but the defender was left disappointed when Hughes blocked his hopes of playing for his country next month.
New Zealand take on Australia in a friendly at Fulham's Craven Cottage on June 9, but Nelsen is set to miss out following a meeting with Hughes.
"In the end, Hughes just came up to me and said 'I don't want you playing.' It wasn't a debate, more a statement," said Nelsen.
"If I played that game and got seriously injured, my contract would probably be taken away. That's always in the back of your mind, but I am gutted at not being able to play."
