Italy-based Bangladeshi footballer Fahamedul Islam failed to make the cut to Bangladesh鈥檚 final squad for the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against India, as he could not meet head coach Javier Cabrera鈥檚 expectations.
Fahamedul, who plays for Italy鈥檚 fourth division club Olbia Calcio 1905, was scouted by Cabrera and was initially part of the 38-member preliminary squad that trained in Saudi Arabia.
However, the 18-year-old midfielder was unable to secure a spot and had to return to Italy, despite being called up at the head coach鈥檚 insistence.
鈥楩ahamedul has not travelled to Dhaka. He was with us for one week in Saudi Arabia. He has done well. He is a talented player. But still, he needs a bit more time.鈥�
鈥楽o, he has not come here with the team. But he did a good job,鈥� Cabrera told the media at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after the team returned home from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Cabrera said there was no lacking in his performance during the national team鈥檚 camp, but he believes Fahamedul needs more time to adapt to the senior team setup.
鈥楬e has gone back to Italy, but again, he has done a good job. It was good for us to have him. It has been good for him also to meet the players and the team. But for now, there are other players that are more ready. He is very young, so he needs a bit more time to adapt,鈥� he added.
Fahamedul鈥檚 omission drew criticism towards the head coach鈥檚 team selection and player management. He also decided to cut eight players from the squad before they had even entered training camp.
Meanwhile, the coach shared his and the team鈥檚 enthusiasm for having Sheffield United midfielder Hamza Choudhury in the team for the match against India on March 25.
鈥楨veryone is very excited. All the players want to meet him and train with him as soon as possible. I have been in touch with him almost every week. So, looking forward to meeting him, to start planning together on how to beat India next week,鈥� he added.
The Bangladesh national team will fly to Kolkata on March 20.
