KATHMANDU, March 10: All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has shortlisted 27 players for the closed-camp for the preparation of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers matches.
National team head coach Gytoku Koji selected four goalkeepers, nine defenders, nine midfielders and five forwards from the crop of 36 players who were called in training a month ago.
Striker Nawayug Shrestha, who was integral part of the team that won consecutive trophies last year, has not been included in the squad as he is currently struggling with leg injury.
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Bishow Adhikari, Bimal Panday, Yubraj Khadka and Ravishankar Paswan, who had received chance to train in the national team for the first time, failed to make place in the closed camp but another new face Bimal Basnet has made his place in the squad. Similarly other players to miss out in the 27-member squad are Hemanta Thapa Magar, Sunil Bal, Dipak Gurung and Dinesh Rajbanshi. Defender Dipak Gurung was part of the AFC Solidarity Cup winning team.
Nepal will start the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers taking on Philippines in the away match on March 28. Raju Kaji Shakya and goalkeeping coach Ujjwal Manandhar are assisting Japanese coach Koji for the qualifying matches of the continental tournament.
Shortlisted players
Goalkeepers: Bikesh Kuthu, Kiran Kumar Limbu, Bishal Shrestham Alan Neupane
Defenders: Rabin Shrestha, Biraj Maharjan, Ananta Tamang, Aditya Chaudhary, Kamal Shrestha, Devendra Tamang, Ranjit Dhimal, Jitendra Karki, Bimal Basnet
Midfielders: Rohit Chand, Man Bahadur Tamang, Bishal Rai, Heman Gurung, Bikram Lama, Anjan Bista, Sujal Shrestha, Suman Lama, Rajendra Rawal
Forwards: Bimal Gharti Magar, Ranjan Bista, Anil Gurung, Bharat Khawas, Karna Limbu
