Talented striker Waheed upbeat ahead of PFF Trials [SAMAA]

by Muneeb Farrukh

Talented young striker Muhammad Waheed is upbeat ahead of the trials conducted by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).

Waheed is one of 90 players who have been called up for the trials from August 27-30 in Lahore.

Meanwhile, after the trials, 25 players will be selected for the training camp which will run from August 31 till November 15.

Hailing from the football-mad community of Karachi’s Liyari, Waheed is keen on “putting up a good show during the trials and get selected for the training camp”.

Waheed came into the limelight with his impressive performance in the 2019 AFC U19 Cup, where he notched up two goals in four matches. He has already represented Pakistan twice, scoring one goal.

He also donned the colours of top local clubs, including Karachi United Sui Southern Gas Company and Pakistan Civil Aviation, in Pakistan. The striker currently plys his trade for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). He is consistently among the top goal-scorers in local football as well, which is evidence of his lethal finishing.

Waheed’s career trajectory, considering the talent he possesses, would have been completely different if football activities in Pakistan would not have been hampered by FIFA ban and mismanagement in the PFF over the past few years. But, hopefully, the upcoming trials will start a new and positive chapter in the 20-year-old’s life.

According to sources, the list of probable players for the trials also includes national team captain Saddam Hussain, star midfielder Saadullah Khan and Abdullah Shah, who recently became the youngest Pakistani player to feature in a foreign League, Dhivehi Sifainge Club in the Maldives 2nd Division, at the age of 21.

Shahzad Anwar, who has worked with Brazil’s SKA FC and other clubs in Sao Paulo in the past, will continue as the head coach of the side.

List of players called up for trials

Goalkeepers

Saqib Hanif, Abdul Basit, Muzamil Hussain, Tanvir Mumtaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Salman, Abrar, Mohammad Usman, Mohammad Azhar.

Defenders

Munir Ahmed, Meraj, Waqar Baloch, Bilal Sher, Mehdi Hasan, Umar Javed, Abdullah Shah, Rizwan Nawaz, Saeed Khan, Mamoon Musa, Sardar Wali, Haseeb Ahmed, Mohibullah Afridi, Khushhal Khan, Asad, Raheel Nawaz, Mohammad Qasim, Ali Khan Niazai, Arsalan, Faisal, Umer Hayat, Imran Hussain, Zain, Tauqeer, Hamza, Qadir, Mohammad Nisar, Wasim Asghar, Sohail Khan, Syed Junaid Shah, Obaid, Amir Sohail, Shahzood Qabool, Zeeshan, Kaleem Khan

Midfielders

Rajab Ali, Ali Uzair, Nabi Bux, Bilal Mata, Zain, Saddam Hussain, Abaseen, Adnan Saeed, Khurram, Alamgir Ghazi, Zaid Umar, Naik Alam, Umair Ali, Adnan Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Saadullah, Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Taha, Mudasir, Usama, Adnan Justin, Zohaib

Forwards

Afzal, Ashfaq Uddin, Shahzaib, Shaiq Dost, Essa Mohammad, Waleed Khan, Aqib, Yousaf Ahmed, Moin, Adeel Younas, Sufiyan, Sammad Khan, Nauman Dodo, Farid Khan, Amir Aslam, Mohammad Waheed, Mohammad Naeem, Farmanullah, Rizwan Khan, Baseer, Mohammad Ali, Hasan, Shahjahan, Ali Agha.