Sheffield United midfielder Hamza Choudhury has been named alongside Italy-based young midfielder Fahamedul Islam in the 38-member preliminary squad for Bangladesh's first Asian Cup Qualifiers match against India, which will be held in Shilong on March 25.

Javier Cabrera, the Spanish head coach of the national team, also picked a few fresh faces into the squad, all of whom have impressed in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League while recalling a number of players, who had previously worn the red and green jersey.

While the inclusion of Hamza, who recently moved from English Premier League outfit Leicester City to Championship League side Sheffield United, was expected one, Fahamdeul's inclusion was a surprise.

Fahamedul, an 18-year-old who currently plies his trade for Italian Serie D (fourth tier) side Olbia Calcio, plays as a left-back and left wing-back. He has previously played for Ligiorna and Livorno after having being in the ranks of the Sampdoria youth team.

Speaking about the youngster, Cabrera, in a video message on Sunday, said: "He's (Fahamedul) is still young but has already playing at a good senior level in Europe. So we believe he might provide a good boost to the team."

It is understood that the BFF has been trying to woo foreign-based players to the national team for quite some time, a move which gathered pace after Hamza's switch of allegiance from England to Bangladesh in December last year.

The Spaniard reiterated his confidence that Hamza's inclusion will have a big impact on the performance of the team.

"Hamza Choudhury is now playing for Sheffield United and he has played both of their last games, (and was) in the (starting) line-up.  Of course, (I am) expecting a great impact from him," Cabrera said.

Among the others who have been called to the squad for the first time are goalkeeper Shakib Al Hasan, defender Zahid Hossain, forward Arif Hossain – all three from Mohammedan, alongside and Police FC forward Al-Amin, who is currently the top scorer among the locals in the BPL with seven goals.

Anisur Rahman, Tariq Kazi, Shushanto Tripura, Yeasin Khan, Mohammad Sohel Rana and Mohammad Ibrahim have earned recalls for their performances.

Cabrera said he would trim the squad to 28 players before the team's departure for a two-week training camp in likely on February 28. The team will then be joined by the two foreign-based players and train here four a few more days before leaving for India five or six days prior to the match.