Expat talent Zayyan joins Bangladesh U-23 camp to boost Asian Cup push

Zayyan Ahmed, a USA-based footballer, has joined the Bangladesh Under-23 national team camp as part of the squad's preparations for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to be held in September.

His arrival continues the Bangladesh Football Federation's (BFF) recent trend of incorporating expatriate talent into national squads across various age levels to boost standards. Zayyan is one of four expatriate players called up to the U-23 team, with the remaining three expected to join the camp soon.

Zayyan's inclusion follows the high-profile additions of England-based Hamza Choudhury and Canada-based Shamit Shome to the senior national team, which helped uplift the interest of fans and garnered significant attention from followers.

Similarly, the Bangladesh U-19 team recently featured two expatriate players -- USA-based Farzad Aftab and Italy-based Abdul Kadir -- out of three who were initially called up for the SAFF U-19 Championship. The third was UK-based Elman Matin.

"Zayyan is one of four expatriate players who joined the camp today. The other three are expected to arrive soon," said team manager Shahin Hassan on Friday after 19 of the 29 players in the preliminary squad reported to assistant coach Hasan Al Mamun at a city hotel. The team's training is set to begin on Saturday.

The BFF also revealed a 19-member partial squad for residential training. Players from Bashundhara Kings and Abahani will join later, as both clubs are currently preparing for their respective international fixtures.

Manager Shahin emphasized the federation's commitment to the U-23 team, stating that qualifying for the final round of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup is a major priority. As part of this strategy, some senior national team players eligible by age have also been called up to strengthen the U-23 side.

Defender Shakil Ahad Topu, who has already played for the senior team, joins a plethora of his senior team members in the U-23 side. The 19-year-old is optimistic about the team's chances.

"We've played together before and know each other well. There are some really good players in the squad, and mentally we're ready. We believe we can achieve good results in the qualifiers," Topu said.

Bangladesh have been placed in Group C of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers alongside hosts Vietnam, Yemen, and Singapore. Matches will take place from September 3 to 9. The group winners from 11 groups and the four best runners-up will progress to the 16-team final round.