Reggae Boyz head coach Steve McClaren believes Jamaica may have uncovered a gem in Rumarn Burrell, who marked his senior international debut with a goal in Tuesday night’s thrilling 3-2 win over Trinidad and Tobago in the Unity Cup.

Burrell, 24, scored Jamaica’s second goal in the hard-fought victory at the Gtech Community Stadium, and while his name may still be unfamiliar to many fans, McClaren says his talent and potential are evident — and he could be a valuable addition to Jamaica’s forward line as they build toward World Cup qualification and the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup.

"He's a runner, and he runs in behind, and he's always a threat. And the key thing is he's always in the middle of the goal. What he has to do is obviously the ratio of chances that he gets; he needs to score. But if he's composed and he learns, that will come. So I'm delighted for him, and he gave us exactly what we expected," McClaren said.

Interestingly, Burrell's introduction to the squad comes at a crucial time. With Michail Antonio sidelined due to injury and visa issues preventing rising talent Warner Brown from joining the team for the Unity Cup, the Reggae Boyz have been short on natural number nines.

McClaren admitted that finding the right striker has been a priority for months.

"Recruitment is so important for us, so we are always searching, and definitely since Michail Antonio got injured, we've been looking for a number nine. Warner Brown, who had a great game against Saint Vincent and scored goals, had visa problems, so we are a little short of a nine. We've watched him [Burrell], and the key thing why we brought him in is because he's a worker," McClaren shared.

Burrell, who has been playing club football in England’s lower leagues and recently scored 11 goals for Burton Albion, was on the radar of the Jamaican technical team for some time. McClaren credited his backroom staff and the local scouting network for keeping tabs on the forward’s progress.

Burrell's composed performance on debut not only resulted in a goal, but he also earned praise for his work rate and tactical discipline, attributes McClaren values highly in a system that demands intensity and structure.

"We’ve been watching him closely on Wyscout. We followed him for about half the season, and he kept scoring and kept improving. But as I said, once he's in this team, we've got to run, and he can run, and he's a pest. He'll run behind, and he'll close down, and I liked his discipline, and he held his shape well as well. So it was a great debut night for him and his family," McClaren noted.

As for how far Burrell can go, McClaren stopped short of predicting stardom but did not hide his belief that there are bigger stages ahead — if the player keeps developing.

"Can he go to another level? Absolutely, but that’s up to him and the people around him. He had a great season and scored eleven goals, and now he made his debut here. So that has put him in a high profile. Now he has the platform to step up, and that is what players tend to do," the former England manager reasoned.

Finally, McClaren pointed to the importance of looking beyond the obvious, especially when it comes to players who develop later in their careers, as Burrell joins a growing list of England-born players staking their claim in the national team setup.

“Sometimes in football, what we sometimes do is look for instant stars and don't look at the late developers. We’ve seen players come from the Championship, First Division, and Second Division even, not so much the Premier, so it’s about where you’re headed," he ended.