With eight days remaining the SAFF Championship national team head coach Lodewijk De Kruif is still undecided about his 20-member squad as he keep on experimenting with his options.
Kruif picked midfielder Monayem Kham Raju on Thursday and axed two defenders – Kesto Kumar and Yamin Munna – before he lately added striker Aminur Rahman Sazib in a clear sign of dilemma.
After reshuffling the squad on Thursday, now 22 players are in the camp. Sources said he is unlikely to announce the final squad until Bangladesh land in Nepal and could leave the country with 21 players on August 25.
Defender Kesto was left out due to a knee injury while BFF sources said Yamin lost his place as the coach considers Waly Faisal a better option for the left-back position.
Midfielder Raju of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club got a surprise call from the coach after he performed well in the last four practice matches against the national team, said the BFF officials
Raju played one match for Team BJMC, two matches for the Bangladesh Football Federation XI and one match for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.
Raju was recalled to the national team after more than two-year absence due to groin injury, having played his last match in the World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in 2011.
Raju also missed much of the action in the last domestic season before regaining his fitness recently.
`I was surprised when the coach asked me on Wednesday to join the camp but still I am not sure about getting a place in the final squad,’ Raju said on Thursday
Meanwhile, one major concern for the coach is the injury of captain
Mamunul Islam who hurt his right knee in the last practice match against Sheikh Jamal DC on Wednesday.
Mamun is not only the captain of the national team but also a key player in midfield which left Kruif mostly worried.
`Mamun needs rest for at least two to three days to recover from the injury. Now he is taking ice therapy on his injured knee,’ said trainer Yamali about the injury status of Mamun.
`After 48 hours
we will examine his knee and we are hopeful that he will recover in time
before the team leaves for Nepal on August 25,’ he added.
Squad
Goalkeepers:
Biplob Bhattacharya, Mamun Khan, Shahidul Islam Sohel;
Defenders:
Nasiruddin Chowdhury, Ariful Islam, Rezaul Karim, Wali Faisal, Md Linkon, Raihan Hasan, Atiqur Rahman Meshu;
Midfielders:
Mamunul Islam, Jamal Bhuiyan, Omar Faruque Babu, Sohel Rana, Mithun Chowdhury, Zahid Hossain, Mobarak Hossain, Monayem Khan Raju;
Strikers:
Zahid Hasan Ameli, Shakhawat Hossain Rony, Toklis Ahmed, Wahed Ahmed.
-With New Age input
